Colombian official says some 1,300 Cubans stranded in town

BOGOTA – Colombia’s government ombudsman’s office says that nearly 1,300 Cubans who hope to make their way to the United States are stranded in miserable conditions near the Panamanian border.

William Gonzalez is ombudsman for the Urabia region. He tells The Associated Press that the 1,297 Cubans who arrived in the town of Turbo three months ago include about 300 children aged 1 to 14 and 11 pregnant women.

They’ve run afoul of a broader crackdown on migration by several Central and South American nations that has led several to close borders to Cubans passing through to the U.S.

Gonzalez says officials plan to deport the Cubans, but don’t know how or in what manner.

He says they live among insects and rodents in a makeshift shelter with poor sanitation.