Ankara: Colombian immigration authorities announced the rescue of 17 minors from members of Lev Tahor, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group accused of child abuse.

According to Anadolu Agency, the group has long faced global scrutiny and is described by authorities and former members as a cultlike sect enforcing strict interpretations of Jewish law, aiming to keep its followers isolated. Their practices, which include promoting child marriages, imposing relocations, and enforcing severe dress codes, have prompted investigations in multiple countries over the past decade.

Colombia's immigration service shared on the US social media platform X that they had rescued 17 boys, girls, and teens, providing images with the minors' faces blurred or concealed. Police reports cited by the EFE news agency indicated that the rescued children were nationals of the US, Canada, and Guatemala.

The rescue operation was conducted by Migracion Colombia, the country's immigration authority, in the town of Yarumal in the Antioquia region. The agency highlighted that five of the minors recovered during the raid had active Interpol 'yellow notices,' issued for missing individuals, especially those vulnerable to abduction or trafficking.

Gloria Esperanza Arriero, head of Migracion Colombia, emphasized the priority of ensuring the protection of these minors, as she told Newsweek. She noted that authorities took preventive action, working in coordination with multiple Colombian institutions to safeguard the rights and well-being of the children. Arriero clarified that the situation was linked to an ongoing legal process in the US, rather than involving abducted children.