Colombia Announces Mass Deportation of Undocumented Migrants

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has announced plans to deport undocumented migrants as part of a new security policy. The government will launch police operations this week to identify and deport illegal immigrants, starting with those who commit crimes and those with improper immigration status, according to a statement released on Monday, August 24.

De la Espriella emphasized that armed rebel groups would be treated as terrorists. The president also plans to establish a national task force to address extortion, involving multiple branches of the military, police, and judiciary, as well as an increase in raids, informant networks, prisoner transfers, and a reward system for good behavior in prisons.

De la Espriella, who was sworn in earlier this month, has pledged to create an elite unit of prosecutors and specialized judges in each city and to reestablish the Financial Information and Analysis Unit, an intelligence agency with access to banking records from the previous administration.