BOGOTA, Colombia _ Colombia will begin deporting thousands of undocumented migrants _ including an estimated 1,273 Cubans _ who have been stranded in the country after Panama shut its southern border in June, authorities said late Tuesday.
Colombian Migration Director Christian Kruger asked the migrants, many of whom are stranded in the northern town of Turbo, to turn themselves in or face forced deportation.
He said air force and police aircraft were prepared to take the migrants back to Cuba or Ecuador _ the last point of entry for many.
Many of the Cuban migrants had been asking authorities for an airlift to Mexico _ like Costa Rica and Panama have previously done _ so they could make their way to the United States.
But Kruger said that Mexico would not allow the flight, that illegal migration constituted human trafficking and an airlift might spark an even greater influx.
"In neighboring countries like Ecuador, Brazil and Guyana there are more than 50,000 irregular migrants that might demand the same treatment," he said.
The statements came after the government held an emergency meeting Tuesday that included President Juan Manuel Santos. Among the decisions were to reinforce the southwestern border with Ecuador and to begin prosecuting those who knowingly provide transportation and housing to undocumented migrants.
The focus of much of the attention has been a warehouse in Turbo where more than 800 Cubans are thought to be staying. Kruger said authorities were seeking the legal right to enter the building and that they planned to prosecute the owner.
Last week, the country's Ombudsmen said it had counted 1,273 Cubans in the vicinity of the port city, although a spokesman for the migration officials have also put that number at 950.
Asked about granting the migrants refugee status, Kruger said most of them were not eligible since they were planning on traveling to the United States, not stay in Colombia.
This Andean nation is just the latest country to deal with the Cuban migration crisis. In November, Nicaragua closed its borders to Cubans, creating a backlog of islanders in neighboring Costa Rica. That country ultimately shut its border to new arrivals in May, creating swelling numbers in Panama. In June, Panama shut down its southern border.
