Colombia will resume flights to return its citizens detained at the US border.

() — The director of Colombian Migration, Fernando García, announced this Friday that flights to return Colombian immigrants detained on the border between Mexico and the United States will resume starting next week.

According to Garciaan agreement was reached with the United States authorities to “resume the flights of [migrantes] returned from next week. As well as the creation of two work groups to ensure compliance with human rights protocols and guarantee the integrity of returned travelers.”

Garcia’s announcement comes just one day after Migración Colombia temporarily suspended US flights for the return of migrants, due to flight cancellations by the US Department of Homeland Security, as well as the alleged ” cruel and degrading treatment” of the US authorities to immigrants.

“The use of restrictive elements such as hand and foot handcuffs, even for women, mothers of families, has been one of the central aspects of the negotiations with the agencies [estadounidenses]to dignify the treatment of Colombians,” said García.

Some 1,200 immigrants were scheduled to return to Colombia between May 1 and 7, but the US authorities canceled the flights, which “is not the first time it has happened,” according to a statement from the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published this Thursday.

The number of returned Colombian migrants has increased drastically since November 2022.

“A year ago, we were receiving one or two flights with Colombian migrants a month. By February of this year, we were receiving around 20 a month,” Garcia said in a press release.

has contacted the US Department of Homeland Security for comment.

— With reporting by Rosa Flores from El Paso, Texas.