MONTRÉAL (CUP)-For someone who is facing a possible deportation order and, if deported, the possibility of the death penalty for treason, Brandon Hughey is remarkably upbeat.

“Right now I’m focusing on what I have to gain, not what I’ve left behind,” he said with a smile.

He has left a lot behind. When Hughey enlisted in the United States armed forces, he was 17 and unable to afford a college education. The recruiter offered him a $5,000 signing bonus to join – all his dad had to do was sign the papers for his underage son.

Hughey saw enlisting as a way to work towards an education and left for Fort Knox, Kentucky, with enthusiasm. The college education never materialized and shortly after his 18th birthday, Hughey was in basic training.

“During my time in basic training the news that there were no weapons of mass destruction or any ties between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda surfaced. That’s when I submitted my request for discharge.”

It wasn’t granted and on the evening of March 2, Hughey received word his unit was to be deployed to Iraq the next day. Hughes was left with the prospect of fighting for an army waging a war he believed was illegal, or running. It wasn’t an easy choice.

“I told myself that if I was to come back from Iraq alive, I wouldn’t be able to live with what I would have done. I couldn’t make the ultimate sacrifice for my country, or take another life for what I think were illegal reasons.”

Hughey told his father he was leaving and drove off the base that night, around midnight. “He didn’t agree with my decision,” recalled Hughey. Not having the support of his father wasn’t easy, said Hughey, but it didn’t affect his resolve.

“I knew I had made the right decision,” he said.

(Hughey’s father has since come around. After researching the principles of international law and the decision-making process that preceded America’s invasion of Iraq, he now disagrees with the war in Iraq and fully supports his son’s action.)

Hughey drove the 17 hours to Indianapolis by himself, where he was met by an activist he met over the Internet. From there they ditched Hughey’s silver Mustang, left his dog tags in the trunk and headed north to St. Catharines, Ont. He crossed the border wearing a New York Knicks cap and claimed to be going to a Raptors basketball game.

Since then Hughey has settled in Toronto and is anxiously awaiting his refugee claimant hearing, originally scheduled for Nov. 19, but postponed because of a strike at Immigration Canada.

Jeremy Hinzman, the first U.S. soldier to seek refuge in Canada since the war in Iraq began, has his hearing Dec. 6. Hughey is hoping his will come shortly after.

The 19-year-old was in Montréal to kick-start his Québec tour to drum up public support for his impending claim hearing. He says he’ll need all the support he can get.

“It’s going to come down to whether or not the government of Canada is willing to upset George Bush for the sake of one American deserter,” said Hughey. “Canadians were very vocal in denouncing the war in Iraq, and Canada did not partake in the coalition. I hope they’ll be as supportive of deserters who share their views.”

Canada has a long history of sympathizing with Americans who flee their country. Loyalists during the U.S. War of Independence came to Canada, as did refugees from the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, so-called skedaddlers deserting from Civil War battalions, and, more recently, some 60,000 men and women resisting the Vietnam War.

Although coming to Canada was somewhat of a last resort, Hughey says he is enjoying his first trip outside the U.S.

“People here do seem to be more politically aware and interested in the world around them.”

Hughey currently has a work permit issued by the Canadian government and has a job in Toronto. He says that there is a growing community, both above and underground, of American deserters in Toronto and he is glad to be a part of it.

“I know most of the other former soldiers and it’s nice to have each other for support. At the same time I think support from Canadians is growing.”

Were the U.S. to grant Hughey amnesty he says he would have to return to the U.S., but if accepted as a refugee in Canada, Hughey says he would like to eventually pursue the elusive university education that he sought as a young recruit.

“I’d like to study history,” he said. “Even if the U.S. were to offer me amnesty 20 years from now, I wouldn’t take it.”

Canadian University Press