Robin Long is one of several U.S. Army deserters who sought asylum in Canada because of his opposition to the Iraq War and became the first of those to be deported to the United States after being rejected for refugee status.

[3][4][5][6][7] In July 2008, the Toronto Star quoted Bob Ages, chair of the Vancouver-based War Resisters Support Campaign who said that since the time of slavery, Canada has been known as a place of asylum, and Long's removal marks the first time an army deserter has been deported from Canada to the United States[3] The Globe and Mail also reported this quote from Ages: "Mr. Long's deportation would be a terrible precedent for Canada, especially given our history of providing sanctuary for war resisters, over 100,000 draft dodgers and deserters during the Vietnam era.

[8] Long's case was heard on July 14, 2008, in front of Madam Justice Anne Mactavish of the Federal Court of Canada.

[7] Judge Mactavish stated that Long did not provide evidence to show he would be singled out for harsh treatment by the U.S. military because of the publicity associated with case.

Instead, they showed a six-minute video of Long, sporting dreadlocks and a beard, telling a Canadian news reporter "I think I was lied to by my president.

"[9] The fact that this "aggravating" evidence was accepted as admissible at the court martial for the charge of desertion was later the subject of much attention (see "aggravation" below) in Canada at the hearing of another war resister:[11] On September 22, 2008, after the Federal Court hearing of Jeremy Hinzman, the Toronto Star reported the following: Jeremy Hinzman's lawyer Alyssa Manning told judge Richard Mosley that new evidence suggests outspoken critics of the 2003 American-led invasion of Iraq face harsher treatment than other deserters.

[12]"Madam Justice Anne Mactavish of the Federal Court of Canada cleared the way for the deportation...."[8] He was court-martialed at Fort Carson, Colorado in August 2008.

At the trial, Long pleaded guilty to desertion[13] and was given a sentence of 15 months in prison, reduction in rank to E-1 private, and a dishonorable discharge.

On November 6, 2008, Long authored an open letter to then President-elect Barack Obama which included the following words: I feel I made the right decision by refusing and am more than willing to sit in the brig for my ideals.

As he tours the country speaking out in opposition to the war, Robin Long remains in the Army, getting military medical benefits, though he is no longer being paid.

His wife is unable to move to the United States because she receives full medical benefits for her MS in Canada and would not be able to get treatment here, his lawyer, Branum said.

"[2]As of August 2010, Long lives in San Francisco and survives on odd jobs in gardening and carpentry to pay for a college program to become a massage therapist.