Overview
- Military anti-kidnapping units and Migración Colombia raided a hotel in Yarumal, verifying the status of 26 people and removing 17 children and adolescents.
- Five of the minors matched active Interpol yellow notices related to international searches for possible kidnapping and human trafficking.
- The children include nationals of the United States, Canada and Guatemala, according to officials and agency reporting.
- Seven families tied to the group reportedly entered Colombia from New York on October 22 and 23, and investigators are assessing indications of an attempted new colony in the country.
- Migración Colombia, the Army’s Gaula unit, the ICBF and the Fiscalía are jointly investigating potential abuse or trafficking, with the operation framed by the January 2025 arrest in El Salvador of suspected leader Jonathan Emmanuel Cardona Castillo on Guatemalan warrants.