Colombia suspends deportation plan due to harsh detention conditions, abuse, authorities say
Bogota had suspended the repatriation of citizens from the United States, citing brutal treatment of migrants, and canceled flights several times in the 11th hour, local authorities said.
Colombian immigration chief Fernando Garcia Manosalva said in a statement Thursday that the country expects to receive about 1,200 returnees from the United States between May 1 and 7. immigrants, mostly women and minors, as part of a pilot program to reduce immigration pressure in the United States. southern border.
However, the agency accused the United States of violating the agreement on the matter. Manosalva said it was not the first time that flights scheduled for May 1 and 2 were canceled by North American immigration agencies.
Bogota also complained about what it called ‘cruel and degrading’ The treatment Colombians received from authorities before and during their flight.The Director of Immigration stated that “Using restrictive elements, such as handcuffs and anklets, even for mothers,” It added that the matter was being discussed with US authorities.
also, “The constant complaints about the poor conditions in the detention center and the mistreatment during the flight were decisive factors in the decision taken over the past few hours,” Mano Salva said.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the suspension only applies to flights carrying families.
The number of Colombians entering the United States has increased in recent years, with about 125,000 migrants apprehended at the southern border in 2022, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The pilot program aims to deport 1,200 Colombians before the expiration of Title 42, a controversial Trump-era order that allows the U.S. to deport immigrants from countries with infectious diseases, including Covid-19. The order is set to expire on May 11 when the Covid-19 public health emergency ends.
Human rights advocates have repeatedly expressed concerns about U.S. immigration policy. In April 2022, a Human Rights First report stated that the administration of US President Joe Biden had imprisoned tens of thousands of immigrants in violation of international law, causing them physical and psychological harm.
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