NEWS/BLOG

Overseas Jobs for Cops

Overseas jobs are hard to come by, but DynCorp International is hiring. The jobs are highly specialized: police officers and former military personnel are needed to work as international police trainers and border recruitment advisers in Iraq and Afganistan. Based Falls Church, Va., the company provides services to civilian and military agencies in many different foreign countries.

Recruiters from the company, which is based in Falls Church, Va., were in Oakland, Ca. recently, in an attempt to fill 400 vacancies. Oakland is one of the U.S. cities where law enforcement officers may be let go because of budget problems.

Pay for these overseas jobs is high: $118,000 to $134,000 a year, some of it exempt from income tax. Health insurance is provided and all equipment — from uniforms to hot and cold weather gear and weapons — is issued free of charge. A thorough background check is required. More than 6,000 men and women have been hired for international police jobs since 1994, when DynCorp first sent its employees to Haiti. 

World Leaders Denounce Honduras Coup

The Honduran army forcibly ousted and exiled leftist President Manuel Zelaya early Sunday, waking him from sleep and taking him to Costa Rica. The move was triggered by his bid to make it legal to seek another term in office.

Protesters in Honduras yesterday put up roadblocks in the capital, Tegucigalpa, and demanded the return of their president. Cars have been upturned and set on fire. Those in power have tried shut down communications in and out of the country. We have had no news from our expat contacts in Honduras, where many U.S. citizens live and own property.

President Obama immediately called for Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. The Obama administration and members of the Organization of American States had worked for weeks to try to avert any attempt to overthrow President Zelaya, according to senior U.S. officials. (This was revealed on the Huffington Post, which cited a Wall Street Journal story.)

Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez announced that he had put his country’s military forces on alert.  In a later announcement, Chavez blamed the U.S. for the seizure of power. It is true that the military plan that airlifted the president was purchased with military aid from the U.S., but the aid dates back to a cold war policy of the 1980s.

Cuba condemned the events in Honduras as “criminal, brutal.” “I denounce the criminal, brutal character of this coup,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said.

The coup comes as a surprise to many because democracy has been restored to virtually all of Latin America. The actions have also been condemned in such countries as Chile, Argentina and Brazil, where military officials toppled civilian rulers in the 1960s and 1970s.

The American Dream in Argentina

The South Carolina governor first said he went to Argentina because it was a great place to be. Later he admitted it was for love though neither response went over well with his wife or his erstwhile supporters.

In any event, Argentina is a great place to be whether it’s for a romantic fling, a vacation. or a longer stay or even to live permanently. This is where Paul Terhorst went, with his wife, I might add, then went on to write Cashing in on the American Dream: How to Retire at 35.

The American dream in Argentina? Well, why not? Back in 1988 when Terhorst’s book first came out, some people thought being an expat was unpatriotic. Remember the bumper stickers, America - Love it or Leave it? As though you couldn’t do both. Terhorst’s book is actually about how to live sensibly and frugally.

Argentina is rather amazing. Argentina Insight Guide (Insight Guides) calls Argentinians “a people of passion.” Flip through the book (I have the 2002 edition with the firey cover but a new one will be out shortly.) and you’ll see serene lakes, craggy mountains, riviera-style beaches, cosmopolitan cities. All this plus a population which has survived a horrific economic downturn. Perhaps North Americans have a few things to learn from Argentinians.

The downturn attracted European and North American investors, retirees and others looking for bargains. Although the country has made headway, a report issued in April 2009 showed that real estate sales had slowed by over 30% from the previous year.

Buying property, whether it’s a ranch or a villa or a condo, is the easiest way to qualify for a residency visa. If you prefer to rent, you would only be permitted to spend only six months in the country. You could enter on a three-month tourist visa and then extend it at the immigration office for another three months.

The beautiful city of Bariloche in the lake district has new regulations to prevent foreigners from buying property in an attempt to curb population growth. Elsewhere it’s no problem. Plenty of expats head for Buenos Aires, with its broad boulevards and stately old buildings reminiscent of Paris, but where apartments are spacious (3,000 sq. ft.) and relatively inexpensive.

Indispensable Advice on Moving to Costa Rica

Book covers can be telling. Erin Van Rheenen’s first book about living in Costa Rica featured a rocking chair on the cover. Her new Living Abroad in Costa Rica shows a bicycle. Though still a retirement haven, Costa Rica is attracting younger people who come here to work for one of the multinationals or to start businesses of their own.

Young or old, they come here to start a new life. Van Rheenen notes. “Costa Rica has an immensely appealing combination of the exotic and the familiar...a far-off land less than three hours by air from Miami...a sophisticated place where life is still fueled by basic human warmth.” They may be escaping the rat race or may have been cast out of the rat race, but probe deeper and you’ll find they’re drawn by the values Costa Rica embodies. She writes that people come to Costa Rica to save the world or to save themselves.

This all-new edition from Avalon Travel Publishing explores what Ticos, as they’re called, are really like in a section titled “People and Culture.” A smiling face might mean that someone really likes you but it might also mean that this person is bearing up after having just been insulted. Ticos are too polite to tell you when you’ve just violated some rule of etiquette that you don’t know.

For the prospective expat, there are useful tips on planning your fact-finding trip, whether its for 10 days, two weeks or a month. If you want to avoid excessive rain, you’re best off visiting from December through April, which is considered the summer here. Some things you might not have thought to bring are listed, such as a clothes line, a wash cloth hotels don’t always supply them) and even duck tape (to mend a torn screen, for example). Also listed are reasonably priced places to stay as well as restaurants and bookstores where you may find other expats. The author recognizes that talking with other expats is important in reaching a decision about making the move.

Travelers from the U.S. only need a passport, which lets you stay for 90 days. The various types of residency are spelled out here as well as duties charged on goods you bring into the country. Make sure you’re up to date on these before moving here. And yes, you may bring your dogs and cats without putting them in quarantine if you bring the right paperwork from a vet.

Residency for retirees with Pensionada status requires proving that you have minimum $600 per month which will be deposited in a Costa Rican Bank. Persons who haven’t reached retirement age may qualify for Rentista status with $1,000 per month. After three years, Pensionaas and Rentistas may qualify for permanent residency. The book has more details on this.

How much you’ll really need depends on your lifestyle. The author emphasizes not bringing your old life and spending habits with you. One of the many benefits of coming here is creating a new life that is simpler than what you leave behind. Don’t count on working here unless engaged in a business that you bring with you. Getting a job requires a work permit, which is very hard to get. If you’re lucky, you may be able to land a position with a multinational company or NGO before leaving home. You could also look starting one of the businesses the Costa Rican government welcomes.

Healthcare options are detailed here. San Jose, the centrally located capital city, has good hospitals. People come to Costa Rica from all over the world as medical tourists. Alternative medicine is respected here. The country has had a government run health insurance plan, Caja, for about half a century. Some expats prefer to use it as back-up or in addition to an international health plan or a private plan purchased locally. The author describes her own experiences with the government plan in a section titled “Kafka would love Caja.”

Included, too, is an overview of areas where expats may want to live, including various parts of the country as well as neighborhoods and suburbs of San Jose. The capital city offers more cultural advantages, but there are other areas with breathtaking natural beauty. It all depends on what you’re looking for.

The book is well organized with a table of contents that includes chapter sub-topics. It is also well indexed and has 40 pages of resources at the end. Not only is the book extremely useful for anyone considering Costa Rica as a place to live, it makes for interesting reading, especially with the many stories and anecdotes set off in boxes throughout the book.

Expats in Mexico Are Coping

They’re coping with swine flu, which Israelis are calling Mexican flu, and as if that weren’t enough, a 5.6 earthquake in the Mexico City area as well. Protective face masks are hard to come by and some cities have run out, so the expat newspaper Inside Mexico has come up with instructions for making your own. Making masks for yourself and family members may not be a bad idea even if you’re somewhere else in the world and planning to stay put.

In case you haven’t seen Inside Mexico in a while, it has a lot of interesting as well as indispensable information. Currently there’s an article about moving to Mexico, what to take and what it costs. Note: before you move your possessions, you must have an FM3 or FM2, and you must move your stuff within six months of receiving the document. You’ll also need another visa, the importación de menaje de casa. It costs US$127 USD and must be requested at the consulate with jurisdiction over the place you’re moving from. Multiple copies of your passport and other documents are required as well. It’s complex, but then you don’t want to discard all those things that will make your home in Mexico more comfortable, do you?

Other articles shed some light on Mexican taxes. Then there are Expat Voices, a column devoted to profiles of expats in Mexico, also an article about Jews in Mexico and another about Jewish cuisine. Plus much more. An online subscription is free and it’s a must for anyone planning to move there.

Where Men are Men

Boom! Boom! At night one hears the explosion of cars and SUVs bought during the recent bubble. Owners who can no longer afford their vehicles are demolishing them in order to collect the insurance. The owner of a $35,000 Range Rover might owe $100,000 on it. As Michael Lewis (author of Panic, Liar’s Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street and other books) writes in the April issue of Vanity Fair, Icelanders incurred debts totaling 830% of the country’s GDP, making the U.S. appear rational and conservative at just 350% of GDP.

Lewis says you can tell a lot about a country by the way it treats foreigners at the point of entry. In Iceland just one “All citizens” sign welcomes Icelanders and visitors alike. This confirms the idea of Icelanders as nice, friendly people. It’s not that simple, however, as Lewis found out. Icelandic males go crashing into each other or into unsuspecting foreigners for seemingly no reason at all. “Everywhere I walk Icelandic men plow into me without so much as a by-your-leave. Just for fun.”

The don’t bash into women, fortunately, but they also don’t talk to women much, creating tension in social situations where both are present. Although women here have equal rights, Icelandic men and women appear to live in different worlds, and this is apparent in their political parties. The Independence Party is mostly male while the Social Democrats are mostly female..The new Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, is a Social Democrat.

Women have important jobs in Iceland, but hardly any became bankers or hedge fund operators or traders. Many of Iceland’s financial high-flyers came from the ranks of fishermen. What brought Iceland from being one of the poorest nations in Europe to one of the richest was innovation in the country’s fishing industry in the 1970s. Fishermen were assigned quotas based on their previous catch. Those who preferred not to fish could sell their quota to someone else. One could also take one’s quota to the bank and borrow on it. Fish, writes Lewis, “had not only been privatized; they had been securitized.”

As Iceland became rich, education became a priority. The country paid students for studying abroad and increasing numbers of Icelanders earned Ph.Ds. Those with Ph.Ds really had nowhere to go until the country turned to investment banking.

Meanwhile, though, in 2004, Iceland turned to a new industry, smelting aluminum, seemingly a natural because of the rich store of thermal power under the ground. The aluminum plants needed workers who would follow the rules and do what they were told, however, this was not a job description that fit the Icelandic male. An Icelandic fisherman is a competitive risk-taker, following in the path of long revered heroes of the Sagas, and now even the fishermen were well educated. It was almost inevitable that they would become investment bankers and hedge fund managers.

Making money looked easy, and for a while, it was. Money was easy to borrow for currency trading and buying up foreign assets. The trouble was, those new to the game often paid too much for the assets they bought and didn’t take time to analyze what they were buying.

Where were women in all this? Nearly all avoided jobs involving risk. One, Kristin Petursdottir, who was deputy CEO of a major bank, hated the culture and called it a “pool of sharks.” She quit to start a financial services company run by women. After the crash, it became one of the few surviving financial firms. Even men now come to her as customers.

Latin America Eases Drug Laws

Argentina’s Pesident Cristina Fernández de Kirchner would like to decriminalize personal use of illicit substances, which would allow Argentina to join other countries which have liberal drug policies.  “I don’t like it when people condemn someone who has an addiction as if he were a criminal, as if he were a person who should be persecuted,” she said. “The ones that should be persecuted are the ones who sell the substances, who give it away, who traffic in it.”

Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico have also recently moved to decriminalize small-scale possession for personal use. Cocaine and ecstasy are widely used by middle and upper-class young people, especially at electronic musical events and raves, which can go on for days at a time. Argentina has the highest per capita use of cocaine in the Americas after the United States, according to a 2006 United Nations survey.

One reason for the change in drug laws in Latin America is the overcrowding of prisons with individuals convicted only of possessing or using drugs. Laws still exist to incarcerate those who sell or distribute drugs. Opponents to liberalizing drug laws claim that one result is that teenagers are more likely to use drugs.

Punishment for distribution of illegal drugs can lead to difficulty interpreting laws, especially in Brazil, where prison sentences for users has been eliminated in favor of treatment or community service. But well-to-do young people sometimes cannot resist the temptation to travel to Holland to buy ecstasy, which is legal and cheap there. Back home, they may simply decide to share with a few friends, however, there is also the temptation to sell it, since the price in Brazil is about 50 times what they paid.

Interestingly, Brazil’s drug laws protect anyone with a university degree, allowing those convicted of drug dealing to serve their time in special prisons. However, lacking even a single credit for a degree means serving time among murders and rapists. What’s more, the maximum sentence for drug dealing is 8 to 20 years in Brazil while the sentence for murder is 6 to 20 years.

It’s no surprise that Brazilian police are able to extract huge sums of money in bribes in exchange for not charging those caught with ecstasy as drug dealers. Wealthy parents of young people who’ve been apprehended are eager to pay whatever is asked. The less affluent can end up serving sentences harsher sentences than murderers.

Complete articles on drug uses and penalties in Argentina and in Brazil appeared in The New York Times, February 15, 2009.

U.S. Students Return from Study Abroad in Cuba

Studying abroad doesn’t often mean studying in Cuba, but that’s just what a group from Brown University did last semester. Arriving in late August, they managed to observe Cubans reaction to the election results as well as experience to Hurricane Ike.

One student reported that Cubans perceived President Obama as a representative of the American people rather than part of the U.S. government. The students observed that many of the islands’ inhabitants are hopeful that the new administration will bring about a shift in U.S. - Cuba relations. U.S. students were able to vote in the election at the U.S. Interests Section, an office which represents the American government and its citizens in Cuba.

The Americans students enjoyed red-carpet treatment. They were only permitted brief stays in Cuban homes and instead were given a residence of their own. During Hurricane Ike, the students were evacuated to the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, They studied at Casa de las Americas, a research institute, rather than the University of Havana. Some Cuban students were also enrolled at the institute, but they were older and the Americans would have preferred being integrated into typical university life.

Iceland on the Brink

Iceland is the first major political victim of the worldwide financial crisis as its conservative coalition government collapsed in the wake of the country’s economic devastation. Iceland’s banks failed after accumulating large debts during the recent period of rapid economic growth. Its economy is expected to shrink by about 10% in 2009 and 2010,and an inflation rate of 13% is projected.

A $2.1 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund, rates hikes to halt runaway inflation and campaigns by local celebrities such as singer Bjork, have had little impact. The IMF predicts Iceland’s economy is facing its biggest slump since the country won its independence from Denmark in 1944. Millions are also owed to depositors around the world.

In an unusual move for this peace-loving country, rioting erupted outside the parliament building in Reykjavik, where people of all ages turned out with pots and pans as well as musical instruments. Demonstrators have accused the government of leading their once-prosperous island nation of 320,000 people into economic ruin. Police used tear gas for the first time since 1949, when Icelanders protested the country’s decision to join NATO.

Demonstrators threw eggs and soda cans at the car in which Prime Minister Geir Haarde was riding but he escaped unhurt. He was also burned in effigy and shortly afterward announced that he would step down.

Iceland is expected to appoint Johanna Sigurdardottir as interim prime minister. Now social affairs minister, she is the choice of the Social Democratic Alliance Party to lead the government until May when an election will be held. She entered politics through the labor movement, serving as a labor organizer while working as a flight attendant with Loftleidir Airlines, now Icelandair. She would be the world’s first openly gay woman to become a head of state. Iceland gave women the vote in 1915, two years before the U.S. and elected a woman president in 1980.

Iceland was one of the most prosperous countries in the world a short time ago.“The standard of living is among the highest in the world with a per capita income of over US$35,575 as of 2000. Life expectancy rivals that of Japan despite being a nation of drinkers and meat eaters. One of the safest countries in the world, Iceland has a crime rate is so low the police don’t carry guns.” This is from our earlier article at liveabroad.com/articles/iceland/

Obama’s Expatriate Experience

“We are shaped by the places we have lived,” begins The New York Times special feature on January 18, highlighting the different places President Obama has spent time, not including Washington DC.

The section on Indonesia was written by Endy M. Bayuni, chief editor of The Jakarta Post, who notes that when Barack Obama arrived there at the age of six in 1967, the country was emerging from major political upheaval. Pro-American General Suharto had seized power from the left-leaning President Sukarno. The army had control of the government and wielded considerable power over people’s lives. Dissent was dealt with harshly.

Most Indonesians were very poor. There were few autos on the streets which were crowded with rickshaws, motorcycles and street peddlers. The future president lived with his mother and Indonesian stepfather in circumstances far from affluent in the outskirts of Jakarta. They had a small house with enough space for chickens and other birds as well as a pet ape. He went to a public Indonesian school and quickly learned the local language. As Bayurn writes, the local school, like Indonesia itself, would have held a mix of different races, ethnic groups and religions.

Early childhood is a time of much learning, and the mature Barack Obama, writing in his first book, offer more details of his experiences and says of his “rapid acculturation in Indonesia” that “It had made me relatively self-sufficient, undemanding on a tight budget and extremely well mannered.....” His mother supplemented his local education with lessons from a U.S. correspondence course. Five days a week, she woke him at 4 AM for English lessons which lasted three hours until he went off to school and she to work at the American embassy where she taught English to Indonesian businessmen. She taught him values, too. Before she sent him to Hawaii to live with her parents when he was ten, she had taught him “to disdain the blend of ignorance and arrogance that too often characterized Americans abroad” and an appreciation of the life chances he would have as an American.

Read more in the Op Ed page of The Times, January 18, and in Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.

Also see: The American Journey of Barack Obama.

Just heard of this on The Charlie Rose Show, which you can get on line. It’s a book of photos from the campaign Yes We Can: Barack Obama’s History-Making Presidential Campaign.

Ride Out the Recession Abroad

Moving abroad isn’t just for retirees or individuals of retirement age. Increasingly much younger people are creating businesses and careers in foreign countries. It might be a operating a guest house in Costa Rica or a retirement home in Mexico or a farm in Brazil. It might be a business catering to expats or travelers in France or Italy or India or Thailand. We hope to feature more information on expat entrepreneurs in the coming weeks and months.

Then there are those individuals who’ve opted to take an extended vacation far from home, perhaps learning a new language or another skill or just taking stock of their lives and figuring out what their next step will be. Why go to a foreign country to do this? For those who can get away, the reasons make plenty of sense.

It can be far cheaper to pack up and make an extended stay in a country where the exchange rate works to your advantage. Your food, rent and living expenses can be a fraction of what they were. No health insurance? No problem! Mexico, Costa Rica and many other countries have government plans that cost very little and may be the answer for those who are young and in good health. Those who want more extensive coverage can enroll in an insurance plan with a private company and pay far less than premiums would be with a U.S. address.

Once you’re living the life you’d only dreamed of, you may just decide to stay on. Whatever you do, check on the visa and residency requirements to be sure you’re “legal.” And don’t burn your bridges. Just be prepared for the adventure of your life and be open to opportunities you may never have considered. The economic situation is far from healthy wherever you go, but it’s still a big, big world.

Lawyers Wanted for Jobs Abroad

Not long ago it was hard enough to transport a legal career across state lines. Now lawyers are being sought for jobs abroad in places like Hong Kong, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. An article in the business section of The New York Times, November 23, 2009, tells why this is happening and where some of the jobs are.

U.S. law firms are increasing their presence overseas. For example, the Los Angeles firm of Lathan & Watkins, has gone from five overseas offices to 14. The New York firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges has gone from three to nine offices in foreign countries.

Hong Kong saw a 48% increase in the number of lawyers from the 250 largest U.S. law firms from 2007 to 2008. In Abu Dhabi, there was an increase of 144%. Most of the business in Abu Dhabi involves legal advice for government businesses funded by a large sovereign wealth fund.

U.S. citizens working abroad who meet certain conditions do not have to pay taxes on their first $87,600 of earned income. 

Belize: Benefits Running Out?

Belize is a tiny Caribbean nation where English is the official language since it once British Honduras. Living costs are low and there are many good reasons expats choose to live there. One reason is the QRP (Qualified Retired Persons) program, which you can take advantage of if you are at least 45 years of age and if you spend a minimum of two weeks a year in Belize.

That two week vacation could have a significant payoff. The advantages of the Belize QRP program include exemption from any Belize taxes, including income tax, capital gains tax, estate tax as well as import tax on household goods, automobiles, boats and even airplanes.

To be eligible, you must consider yourself retired. What this means is that you are not permitted to apply for a work permit or accept employment in Belize. However, you could operate an international business, an internet business or even start a business in Belize and still consider yourself retired.

There is an income requirement. You must show that you have a minimum of US$2,000 a month in income to support yourself in Belize. Or, you could just deposit US$24,000 into a Belizean bank account.

The bad news is that the program has exceeded its quota of 20,000 QRP retirees, and in a tiny country of about 275,000, this adds up to a lot of expats and a lot of lost taxes. The newly elected UPD government is threatening to end the program. No one know what’s going to happen but the issue will most likely be addressed at the first of the year by the National Assembly. Very likely, anyone admitted to Belize under the present program can keep their benefits. A new program, however, would be far less generous.

Many people will remember that when Costa Rica altered its pensionado program, retirees there weren’t “grandfathered in.” Costa Rica is still a terrific place to live, but it doesn’t offer the tax benefits for retirees that it once did.

For more information and resources for Belize, see our Belize page. 

A Second Look at Panama

Mercedes de Marchena responded to our recent posts on Costa Rica: “Panama is next door, with amazing rain forest, beaches and mountains. The people are friendly and service oriented, and they are efficient. The banking system is first class, they use the dollar as currency and health care is excellent and cheap… Maybe it is time to take a second look at this wonderful, peaceful yet very modern, up and coming place.”

Born and raised in Panama, she now travels there often to visit her mother. “We have an apartment in Panama City and love the cosmopolitan feel of the city. It has changed a lot since I lived there. The bay is being cleaned up and a new road is being built to get from the Corredor Sur into the Casco Viejo, the old colonial city. There are restaurants and nightlife, casinos and luxury hotels. Life is cheaper than in the U.S.or Europe, and the city is so lively. We usually stay there a couple of days before we travel into the interior to go where my mother lives.

“The small city where my mother has lived most of her life is called La Tablas in the Azuero Peninsula. Life there is like it was in everywhere in Panama many years ago. Everyone knows everyone, and people still sit in their verandas and visit. The colonial church dominates the central plaza, and around it are the stores and small restaurants and business. People go there at night to enjoy the coolness after the sun goes down. Life is slow and to be savored.

“Yet you’ll find everything there. Supermarkets are stocked with a wide variety of items and you can also get local produce and fruits very cheaply. You can even have seafood and fish delivered fresh to your doorstep.

“Healthcare is excellent. When my mother had a stroke a year and a half ago, and she received very good care at a large hospital. She had a therapist come to the house for months at incredible low rates ($12/hour) and now has nurse caring around the clock for about $20 a day. You can’t get that anywhere else. Everywhere in Panama, high quality health care is inexpensive.

“Financial institutions and banks work efficiently and are up to world standards. I can send money directly there from the U.S. We got a mortgage for a house we bought there without any problems. Service is superb and you can rely on these professionals.

“About 40 minutes away, there is the town of Pedasi. This even smaller town has world-class restaurants and hotels. Celebrities have discovered this wonderful place, among them, Giles St Giles , the French architect and his wife, who own “Villa Camila” and Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein, who has a home and lands here… I could go on and on, but I think I need more space!”

Mercedes de Marchena is a free-lance writer now living in Miami after living 20 years in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. Read more about her life in the Caribbean at her blog, http://www.expatinthetropics.blogspot.com.  She is also
the author of a book, Such is Life in the Tropics: How Difficult Can It Be to Survive in Paradise?

For more on Panama and some reasons for choosing to live there, see http://liveabroad.com/articles/panama.html.

Canada Deports U.S. Deserter

An American soldier who fled to Canada to avoid being sent to Iraq has been deported to the U.S. where he will face charges of desertion. He had been in Canada three years and was placed in custody after being denied refugee status there. An estimated 200 members of the U.S. military are currently in Canada, but this is the first instance of deportation.

Anti-war demonstrations were held at the Vancouver-Seattle international border crossing and in front of Canada’s Federal Court in Toronto yesterday to condemn the Canadian government’s decision. An estimated 200 American army deserters have sought refugee status in Canada. Nine are facing immediate deportation orders this summer.

Canada has strict immigration requirements. Refugees are admitted, but must also meet certain requirements.