Colombia to deport Cuban woman seeking cancer treatment in U.S.

Colombia to deport Cuban woman seeking cancer treatment in U.S.

Maydelyn Hernández Naya and her husband had been previously deported
from Colombia
They are part of a growing number of Cubans stranded in Colombia
Colombia has deported 470 migrants in the past 10 days
BY JIM WYSS
jwyss@miamiherald.com

BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA
A Cuban woman thought to be suffering from cancer and trying to make her
way to the United States for treatment will be deported to Ecuador — her
point of entry into Colombia — amid growing fears in this Andean nation
that it could see a Central America-style migratory crisis.

Immigration Director Christian Kruger on Wednesday said Maydelyn
Hernández Naya and her husband had been detained in northern Colombia,
along the border with Panama, after it was discovered that they had been
previously deported and barred from entering this country for five years.


Hernández was part of a group of 120 Cubans who have taken up shelter in
a warehouse in the port city of Turbo, hoping to make their way up
through Central America and to the United States.

Last month, Panama closed off its border to undocumented migrants as it
has struggled to take care of thousands of Cubans who have been stranded
there. And Colombian authorities fear that decision could create a
backlog here.

Hernández and her husband, Nelson March, had been documenting the plight
of the growing number of Cubans in Turbo. Hernández told reporters she
was suffering from cancer and had been seeking painkillers when she was
detained Monday.

In a statement, Kruger said authorities were providing her with medical
attention and guaranteed her safety. But he said his office could not
"ignore its mission" and allow foreigners who didn't have their
paperwork in order to remain here.

Hernández, her husband and nine other people will be handed over to
Ecuadorean authorities in the "coming hours," the office said.

Colombia is a key transit point for migrants — particularly Cubans — who
are trying to reach the United States by going overland. Many, like
Hernández, enter the country through Ecuador or Guyana, which have some
of the laxest immigration laws in the region.

Colombia says it has deported 470 people in the past 10 days.

Source: Colombia to deport Cuban woman seeking cancer treatment in U.S.
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