Colombian authorities have intervened to protect minors belonging to the controversial Lev Tahor ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect, deporting 26 members to the United States following child welfare concerns. The group, comprising 17 children and 9 adults, was apprehended during a November 22nd hotel raid in Yarumal, northwestern Colombia, after local residents alerted officials to their presence.
Immigration officials discovered five children with American and Guatemalan passports subject to Interpol yellow notices, indicating they had been reported missing or as potential victims of parental or criminal abduction. While all children were accompanied by at least one parent, the alerts prompted immediate protective action.
The detained individuals spent a week at immigration facilities in Medellín, where Colombia’s National Institute for Family Welfare provided specialized support for the minors before their coordinated transfer to New York. US officials received the group at their destination, where Child Protective Services assumed responsibility for the children while authorities examine potential investigations against adult members.
This incident represents the latest international chapter in Lev Tahor’s troubled history. The sect has faced legal scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions, with previous interventions occurring in Guatemala (2023), Mexico (2022), and the United States (2021). Previous allegations include child kidnapping, forced adult-minor marriages, and sexual exploitation crimes resulting in convictions of group leaders.
Gloria Eperanza Arriero, director of Colombia’s immigration agency, emphasized the preventative nature of the operation, noting the group had arrived in October seeking rural property to establish a compound. ‘The positive outcome is that we reached the children before they established a compound,’ Arriero stated, ‘which would have necessitated judicial authorization for intervention.’
The sect, established in the 1980s, maintains presence across North America and Israel, consistently drawing international law enforcement attention due to its practices regarding minor protection and welfare.