Colombia's de la Espriella orders deportation campaign against irregular migrants
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Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella ordered police to begin deporting foreign nationals living irregularly in the country, with operations starting as early as this week. The policy is expected to primarily affect Venezuelans, who make up about 95 percent of Colombia's migrant population. Opposition leaders and migrant communities condemned the plan as xenophobic.
Key Facts
- President Abelardo de la Espriella announced the deportation campaign during a security council meeting on Sunday.
- Approximately 2.8 million Venezuelans reside in Colombia, the largest Venezuelan migrant community in the world.
- An estimated 500,000 Venezuelans lack permission to be in Colombia, according to migration authorities.
- Senator Ivan Cepeda, leader of the Historic Pact, accused de la Espriella of adding xenophobia to his policies.
Deportation Order
De la Espriella unveiled the crackdown during a security council meeting on Sunday, ordering police to begin operations as soon as this week. The far-right president said his government will first target those committing crimes and then those whose status has not been regularised. In a video shared on X, de la Espriella declared, "I will not accept any illegal immigrants, wherever they come from." The policy marks a stark departure from previous administrations, which largely sought to create legal immigration pathways for Venezuelans fleeing hardship.
Venezuelan Migrant Impact
Some 95 percent of Colombia's migrant population are Venezuelan, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Nearly 2 million Venezuelans have a Temporary Protection Permit authorising them to live in the country. Many of the estimated 500,000 without permission were granted temporary permits that have since expired.
Political Backlash
Opposition leaders and migrant communities decried the plan, with leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda writing on X that de la Espriella "has added xenophobia to all the authoritarian, despotic and discriminatory traits of his policies." Cepeda, who narrowly lost the June run-off presidential election, accused de la Espriella of failing to protect Colombian deportees from the United States. De la Espriella, a political outsider and former lawyer, aligned himself with right-wing leaders such as US President Donald Trump, who initiated his own deportation campaign.
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Colombia's de la Espriella orders deportation campaign against irregular migrants
