Canada No Longer A Haven for US Deserters

Sgt. Patrick Hart
(Buffalo, New York) A US Army soldier, Sgt. Patrick Hart, deserted the US military and went to Canada as a war resister.

But after five years of wrangling with the Canadian immigration system, he came back to the U.S. - and ended up in a military prison.

The country that once welcomed war resisters has developed a much different reputation during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan: Supporters say no U.S. soldier who has sought legal residence in Canada, either as a refugee or on humanitarian grounds, has been successful.

"Nobody's won," said Hart, a Buffalo native who exhausted his legal options then turned himself in to the Army, was court-martialed for desertion and sentenced to two years in prison.

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