Colombia cancels U.S. deportation flights due to “cruel” mistreatment of migrants

Flight

Colombia on Monday suspended deportation flights, returning citizens detained at the Mexico border due to “cruel and degrading treatment” by U.S. migration officials.

Fernando Garcia, Head of Colombia’s migration agency, said some migrants were subjected to cruel and degrading treatment before boarding and during the flights, including the use of cuffs for hands and feet.

“There are recurring complaints about the poor conditions in detention centres and mistreatment during flights, which represented a determining factor in the decisions adopted in the last few hours,” Garcia said.

According to the report, the number of Colombians trying to migrate north to the United States has soared in recent years, according to the report.

The country’s migration agency, in a statement said Colombia expected to receive some 1,200 migrants in flights programmed to arrive from the United States during the first week of May.

(Xinhua/NAN)