Colombian immigration authorities deported nine adults and seventeen minors, members of the Lev Tahor cult on Monday, after it was revealed that they intended to re-establish the cult in a remote area of the country.
The group was put on a flight to New York, accompanied by Colombian police forces.
According to authorities, the cult members were located in a hotel in the city of Yarumal in the Norte de Antioquia region, when it was discovered that they intended to settle in a secluded private area in the region. "Their intention was to disappear into private land, and this raised serious concerns," a security source said.
The Colombian immigration authority defined the group as a "threat to national security," and expressed concern about the violation of the rights of minors. The deportation was carried out in a joint operation with a local child protection network.
Paula Salazar, director of the regional immigration authority, noted that "Colombia has implemented an administrative deportation of the nine adults due to concerns about national security. The minors remained in custody on the flight until their full transfer to US authorities."
Some of the minors were transferred to Child Protective Services in the US after it was discovered that five of them - Canadian, American and Guatemalan citizens - were under an Interpol Yellow Notice due to concerns about human trafficking, kidnapping or exploitation.
The deportation occurred a week after 17 minors were rescued from the remnants of the cult in Colombia on November 23. According to authorities, after the cult in Guatemala was dismantled, several families tried to form a new group in Colombia - an attempt that was exposed and thwarted.