Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella announces immigration crackdown

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriña, a far‑right millionaire former lawyer who has been in office for just over two weeks, announced on Sunday that joint police‑migration operations to detain and deport irregular migrants will begin “this very week.” Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Barranquilla—temporarily serving as an alternative capital after a 7.4‑magnitude earthquake on 10 August killed more than 300 people and destroyed over 30,000 homes—de la Espriña ordered authorities to first target migrants who have committed crimes and then those who have not regularised their status, promising immediate deportations. He framed the policy with a “Colombians first, Colombians second and Colombians third” slogan that mirrors U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America first” rhetoric, aligning himself with other Trump‑aligned leaders in the region such as Argentina’s Javier Milei and Chile’s José Antonio Kast.

The crackdown arrives amid criticism that it would overturn a decade‑long migration policy that accommodated refugees fleeing Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis. Venezuelans make up roughly 90 % of Colombia’s 2.8 million migrants, with about 848 000 in an irregular situation, including 193 000 children and adolescents. Opposition senator María José Pizarro Rodríguez denounced the plan as “pure xenophobia and aporophobia,” questioning whether de la Espriña was proposing a Colombian version of ICE. Human‑rights groups warn that the decree could jeopardise the livelihoods of thousands of migrants who contribute to the economy, and they point out that Colombian law does not recognise an “illegal” immigrant category—only “irregular” status, which is not a criminal offense. The president also used the announcement to label drug‑trafficking, illegal mining, extortion and smuggling gangs as “terrorists,” pledging to defeat them by force.

Implementation faces practical hurdles. El Tiempo reported that sources within the migration department doubt the agency has sufficient personnel to carry out the large‑scale deportations de la Espriña envisions. Analysts note that the legal framework does not support the creation of a criminal classification for migrants, potentially limiting the scope of any enforcement actions. As the nation continues to recover from the earthquake’s devastation, the new administration’s hard‑line stance on migration and organized crime will test its capacity to balance security objectives with humanitarian obligations, while drawing regional attention to Colombia’s shifting political climate.

⚡ Effects Interpreter