International
A deported Colombian says that in the United States they did not respect his rights and received inhuman treatment
Jose Erik Montaña, one of the 201 Colombians deported from the US who arrived in Bogotá this Tuesday on two flights of the Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC), said that in the North American country they did not respect their rights and received inhumane treatment.
“They want (the US Government) to blame their problems on migrants who cannot defend themselves (…) They did not give us rights, they did not tell us anything, they made us sign mandatory documents and it was horrible, it was really inhumane treatment,” Montaña told journalists when arriving at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá on a flight from El Paso (Texas).
Montaña said that he entered the United States last week fleeing the Colombian armed conflict.
His goal was to reunite in that country with his family, but once he got there he was arrested along with a Mexican and other people by the authorities.
“They handcuffed us from the hands to the ankles, the hips, we were like criminals. There were children who had to see their mothers chained as if they were drug addicts, traffickers, when they really were people who wanted a better future for their families,” said Montaña, who after being deported does not know what to do because his whole family is in the United States.
According to the Colombian Foreign Ministry, 201 people, including adults and children, arrived on the two flights, deported by the US government.
On the first flight, coming from El Paso, 91 passengers came, of whom 46 were men and 45 women, while on the second, which arrived from San Diego (California), 110 people were traveling, of them 62 men, 32 women and 16 minors.
“They are Colombians, they are free and dignified and they are in their homeland where they are loved. The migrant is not a criminal, he is a human being who wants to work and progress, live life,” said Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in a message published on the social network X in which he shared photos of citizens getting off the plane.
The Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, pointed out that the migrants were received by a delegation of the Presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the FAC, Migration Colombia, the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá and the Red Cross.
This is the first of the two aircraft with deportees that are expected to arrive in Bogotá today. According to the Foreign Ministry, the second plane, coming from San Diego, will land “in minutes” at El Dorado airport.
Early in the morning, Colombian President Gustavo Petro published a photo taken inside one of the planes in which the deportees are seen without handcuffs, as requested by the president, who demanded from Washington a “dignified treatment” for them.
Alexander, another of the deported Colombians, told journalists that he had arrived in El Paso 12 days ago requesting asylum, which is why he was deported this Tuesday.
“What we don’t know is why they brought us on a Colombian Air Force plane,” added Alexander, who had migrated looking for “better economic stability” and had crossed to the United States across the border with Mexico.
Although Alexander says that during the time he was detained in the United States they had him in “acceptable conditions”, he revealed that he was handcuffed and tied “by “feet, hands and waist.”
On the return flight to Colombia, he added, he received “excellent treatment.”
The Foreign Ministry said on Monday in a statement that the Government arranged these planes to bring back home “110 compatriots deported from the United States, complying with the protocols established for the dignified return and with guaranteed rights to compatriots who arrive on deportation flights.”
The Colombian president initially rejected on Sunday two planes sent by the United States with deportees, which caused the unprecedented diplomatic crisis with that North American country
Petro’s statement led US President Donald Trump to order the imposition of 25% tariffs on all Colombian products, in addition to other travel and immigration sanctions.
Petro responded with the principle of reciprocity and ordered the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Luis Carlos Reyes, to “raise import tariffs from the US by 25%.”
However, the White House closed the crisis with Colombia over the repatriations of immigrants by assuring late on Sunday that the Government in Bogotá accepted “all the terms of President Trump” in this regard.
That includes “the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal foreigners from Colombia returned from the United States, included in military aircraft, without limitations or delays.”
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
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