Colombia orders deportation of irregular migrants after a decade as the main host country

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has ordered a coordinated deportation effort targeting foreigners without regular migration status, marking a departure from the country's decade-long policy as the primary host for Venezuelan migrants. Speaking at a security council meeting in Barranquilla, the president stated that the focus would initially be on individuals committing crimes and those who have not secured regular status, who will subsequently be deported.

The Venezuelan Observatory estimates that there are 848,000 Venezuelans in Colombia without regular status, including 193,000 minors, while Colombia's migration data suggests that nearly 82% of Venezuelan migrants hold regular status, with around 500,000 lacking it. The United Nations refugee agency estimates that there are three million Venezuelans residing in Colombia as of 2025.

This move potentially casts doubt on the Temporary Protection Statute for Venezuelan Migrants, introduced in 2021, which granted free temporary protection permits and positioned Colombia as a global benchmark for migration regularisation. Colombia has hosted nearly a third of the 7.8 million Venezuelans who left their homeland since 2015, regardless of political affiliations of the governing parties.

Critics, including researcher Ronal Rodríguez and Congresswoman Mariana Fernanda Carrascal, argue that labeling irregular migrants as criminals without evidence is flawed. The implementation of this policy faces practical challenges, as Colombia's 2,219-kilometre land border with Venezuela necessitates cooperation with the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez, a nation in the midst of a US-supported transition.

At the same security council meeting, De la Espriella also ordered the activation of a rewards system, strengthened informant networks, and prison transfers to deter jails from being used as bases for extortion.