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Army deserter deported to U.S. from Canada

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — An Army deserter who fled to Canada three years ago was deported Tuesday to the U.S., marking the first time a resister to the U.S war effort in Iraq has been removed from Canada.

Canada Border Services Agency spokeswoman Paula Shore confirmed that Robin Long, 25, was deported, but she could not discuss specifics of the case including Long’s destination.

Long fled to Canada in 2005 to avoid serving in Iraq. He said he sought refuge in Canada because the U.S. army wanted him to participate in what he calls an “illegal war of aggression in Iraq.”

The Federal Court of Canada Justice Anne Mactavish ruled Monday that Long couldn’t provide clear evidence that he’ll suffer irreparable harm if he’s returned to the U.S.

Long was among some 200 American deserters believed to be in Canada in an effort to avoid service in Iraq. So far, Canadian immigration officials and the courts have rejected efforts to grant them refugee status.

During the Vietnam War, up to 90,000 Americans, most of them trying to avoid the military draft, successfully sought refuge in Canada. The majority of them returned home after the United States granted amnesty in the late 1970s.

Sarah Bjorknas, a coordinator for the War Resisters Support Campaign, said Long will be returned to his unit based in Fort Knox, Ky.

She said Long’s punishment for deserting will be up to the company commander and could include court-martial and prison time, or his deployment to Iraq.

Bjorknas said Long had apparently been moved between several jails in British Columbia, adding that the moves frustrated the group’s attempts to provide Long with assistance.

In her ruling, Mactavish noted that although the percentage of American military deserters prosecuted for desertion has increased since 2002, the vast majority have not been prosecuted let alone jailed for desertion.

Last week, Canada’s Federal Court granted U.S. National Guardsman Sgt. Corey Glass, 25, a stay to his deportation order while the court decides whether to hear his case. Glass refused redeployment to Iraq.