U.S. war deserter wins stay in Canada

OTTAWA, April 22 (UPI) -- The first known female U.S. soldier allegedly to desert duty in Iraq and flee to Canada has won a three-month stay until her deportation appeal can be heard.

Kimberly Rivera, her husband and two children drove to the Canadian border south of Toronto in January 2007 after she had served a three-month stint in Iraq in 2006. She sought refugee status on humanitarian and compassionate grounds at the border, the Toronto Star reported.

The federal Conservative government has resisted all attempts to grant such status to numerous U.S. soldiers seeking refuge, the report said. Last week, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said the claims don't conform with United Nations' refugee status criteria.

"We're not going to contort the refugee laws to suit some people's political agenda," he said.

Regardless, the Federal Court granted time Tuesday to Rivera and her family, which includes a third child born in Toronto last November, to file an appeal, which will be heard July 8, the Star said.