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TORONTO -- The January weather isn't as pleasant as her native Texas, but U.S. Iraq war resister Kimberley Rivera wants desperately to stay.
With her 7-week-old daughter, Katie, strapped close to her chest, the first known female war resister to seek re-fuge in Canada faces deportation next week.
Rivera was joined by supporters at Nathan Phillips Square yesterday for the kick-off of "Let Them Stay Week" in support of five U.S. Iraq War resisters in Canada set to be returned to the States during the next 10 days.
The mother of three faces deportation -- and possible jail time -- on Jan. 27.
'KNEW IN MY HEART'
Rivera, who served in Iraq, came to Toronto in early 2007 from Texas. Along with husband, Mario, and kids Christian, 6, Rebecca, 4, and Katie, Rivera moved to Parkdale where she planned to start their new life.
"I just knew in my heart and in my mind that I couldn't keep doing what I was doing," she said.
But now, as the U.S. government is lobbying for her return to native soil, Rivera fears she may go the way of Robin Long, a war resister living in Canada who was deported, court martialed and sentenced to 15 months in prison.
"(She) would also receive a dishonourable discharge which is the equivalent of a felony charge," said Lee Zaslofsky, co-ordinator for the War Resisters Support Campaign. "We feel that is extremely harsh."
Zaslofsky draws on the House of Commons motion passed last June calling on the Government of Canada to immediately cease deportation proceedings that have been commenced against all U.S. Iraq War resisters.
"We thought at the time there was a good chance the government would actually carry out the will of parliament," he said. "It turns out their ideological convictions were otherwise."
The grisly state of the Iraq War was highlighted yesterday by resister Joshua Key, who is AWOL from his call of duty but is not yet facing deportation.
He said he decided to flee the military after coming across two decapitated bodies on the bank of an Iraq river.
"I looked to my right and there was one American soldier holding back screaming Iraqis and to my left there were two American soldiers kicking around their heads like a soccer ball," Key said.
"I made the decision then I didn't want to be a part of that anymore."