Colombia cancels US deportation flights, blasting 'cruel' mistreatment of migrants
Head of Colombia’s migration agency cites degrading treatment by US officials as flights returning citizens suspended
Reuters in Bogotá
Fri 5 May 2023 10.59 EDT
Colombia has suspended US deportation flights returning citizens detained at the Mexico border, because of cruel and degrading treatment by US migration officials and last-minute flight cancellations.
Fernando García, head of Colombia’s migration agency, blasted cruel and degrading treatment that some migrants were subjected to before boarding and during the flights, including use of cuffs for hands and feet.
“There are recurring complaints about the poor conditions in detention centers and mistreatment during flights, which represented a determining factor in the decisions adopted in the last few hours,” García said in a statement.
The number of Colombians trying to migrate north to the US has soared in recent years, with more than 125,000 apprehended at the United States’ southern border in 2022, according US Customs and Borders Protection (CBP), up from about 6,200 in 2021.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/05/colombia-cancels-us-deportation-flights-mistreatment-migrants
