Colombia expels Jewish sect members to US after rescuing 17 minors from alleged abuse

Colombian authorities have expelled 26 members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor to the United States after rescuing 17 minors from the group, citing concerns over the children’s safety.

The group, consisting of nine adults and 17 children, was detained on November 22 following a raid on a hotel in Yarumal, a city in northwestern Colombia.

Immigration officials said all children were accompanied by at least one parent, though five minors held US or Guatemalan passports were listed in Interpol yellow notices, which are issued for missing individuals or those at risk of abduction.

Read more: VIDEO: Colombia says 17 minors rescued from Jewish sect accused of abuse

The rescued children spent a week in Medellín under the care of Colombia's National Institute for Family Welfare before being flown to New York. U.S. authorities are now reviewing whether any adults face pending investigations, while the children have been placed under Child Protective Services.

Lev Tahor, whose name means "pure heart," has faced legal scrutiny in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Guatemala, and Mexico, over allegations of child abuse, forced marriages, and other abuses. In 2024, Guatemalan authorities removed 160 minors from a Lev Tahor compound following reports of sexual and physical abuse.

Gloria Esperanza Arriero, director of Colombia’s National Immigration Agency, said officials acted quickly to protect the children before the sect could establish a compound in the country. “The positive thing in all of this is that we got to the children before they had a compound,” she said.

Authorities described Lev Tahor as a tightly controlled, cultlike community that isolates its members and imposes extreme interpretations of Jewish law, including strict dress codes and restrictions on movement. The group is estimated to include around 50 families from North and Central America.