Colombia President Orders Crackdown on Undocumented Migrants
Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella ordered Colombia Migration (Migracion Colombia, in Spanish) and the Barranquilla Police to launch operations this week to identify foreigners who are in the country with irregular immigration status and those who are involved in crimes. The president announced that migrants who have committed crimes will be deported and that […]
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has announced a crackdown on undocumented migrants in the country. Migrants with irregular immigration status and those involved in crimes will face deportation, while those without regularized stay in the country will also be targeted. This move represents a shift towards a stricter immigration policy, contrasting with the more lenient approaches of previous administrations.
The announcement took place during a security council meeting in Barranquilla. Around 90% of the foreigners currently residing in Colombia are of Venezuelan origin. The president emphasized that foreigners committing crimes will be deported first, followed by those with irregular immigration status. He stated that "I will not accept people without papers from wherever they come who are committing crimes in Colombia.
They will leave, and we will deport them." The directive forms part of a broader security offensive, including reward programs and measures to strengthen the network of civilian informants. The government aims to distinguish between those posing a security threat and those who solely violate immigration regulations to prevent an overbroad association of migration with crime.
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