BOGOTA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- "They treated us like animals," said Diana Carolina Robin Jodeci, a 38-year-old Colombian deportee, recalling her time in U.S. custody before being sent back home.

Diana, who was among a group of women shackled on a bus for more than an hour while waiting to be deported, said they were denied access to restrooms while the air conditioning blasted at full power, leaving them shivering.

"There were children on the bus, some about to vomit, but the U.S. officers didn't care," she said. "Eventually, we had no choice but to help each other relieve ourselves on the bus. It was humiliating."

Diana said she was arrested on Jan. 18 and had been held in a U.S. border detention facility -- commonly referred to as "hielera" (Spanish for "icebox") -- with about 60 other women crammed into a single room, where they were given barely edible food.

"Breakfast at 6 a.m. was a tortilla with eggs and sausage that had already gone sour. Lunch at 2 p.m. was another tortilla, just with more seasoning. Dinner at 10 p.m. was a turkey sandwich, but the meat was rotten-green, spoiled and sour," she said.

According to Colombia's immigration authority, 867 Colombian nationals had been deported from the United States this year as of Feb. 14. Most were expelled under stricter immigration policies put in place by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Both the Colombian and Brazilian governments have complained about the U.S. handling of deportees, saying they were subject to inhumane and degrading treatment.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro last month denied entry of U.S. military aircraft carrying deportees, citing degrading treatment on board. Petro's action led to a trade stand-off with Trump, which ended when Bogota said it would use its own planes to carry the deportees.

Diana was eventually deported on Jan. 29 on a Colombian Air Force (FAC) military flight.

"We finally felt a sense of relief when we saw the FAC officers," she said.

Daniel Arturo Vazquez, 40, who was deported a day earlier, described nearly 10 days of detention at the "hielera" as a nightmare. He said detainees were shackled, repeatedly woken up at night for checks, insulted by officers and given little food that was nearly impossible to eat.

Many who are being deported are parents of young kids, and many of the children didn't understand why their parents were in handcuffs, continually asking if they had committed any crimes, he said.

Greiny Jaime Bayona, a 23-year-old single mother deported the same day as Daniel, said she was relieved to be back home. "At least I made it back in one piece. That's something to be grateful for." Enditem

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