Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella announces immigration crackdown
Summary
Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has ordered authorities to detain and deport immigrants who do not have legal status or have committed crimes. He also declared a strong fight against criminal gangs involved in drug trafficking and other illegal activities.Key Facts
- Abelardo de la Espriella took office as Colombia’s president just over two weeks ago.
- He announced joint police and migration authority operations to start this week targeting immigrants without legal status and those committing crimes.
- De la Espriella’s immigration policy is stricter than previous governments and focuses on deporting irregular migrants.
- He promised to treat gangs involved in drugs, illegal mining, extortion, and smuggling as terrorists.
- Most immigrants in Colombia (about 90%) come from Venezuela, with roughly 2.8 million Venezuelans living in Colombia.
- Around 848,000 Venezuelan migrants in Colombia have irregular status, including 193,000 children and teenagers.
- Human rights groups and opposition politicians criticize the policy as xenophobic and harmful to migrants fleeing poverty and violence.
- Colombian law does not classify migrants as “illegal” but as having an “irregular” status, which is not a crime.
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