- Colombia’s president has ordered a crackdown on undocumented migrants
- Authorities will prioritise foreigners convicted of crimes for deportation
- The move marks a tougher immigration stance by the new government
Colombia’s right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella has directed security and immigration authorities to begin detaining undocumented foreigners convicted of crimes as part of a new push to deport illegal migrants.
In a video of a security cabinet meeting held Sunday in Barranquilla, Eko Hot Blog gathered that the president instructed immigration officials to prioritise foreigners involved in criminal activities, followed by those whose immigration status has not been regularised.
De la Espriella said deportation procedures would begin during the week, stressing that his administration would not tolerate illegal immigration regardless of the migrants’ nationality.
The president assumed office on August 7 with a campaign focused heavily on tackling crime and drug-trafficking groups.
However, his security programme was temporarily interrupted after a powerful earthquake struck the western part of the country on August 10, killing more than 300 people and destroying thousands of homes.
During the security meeting, De la Espriella also promoted a nationalist approach similar to US President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, declaring that Colombians would be his administration’s primary concern.
Colombia hosts an estimated three million Venezuelan migrants who have crossed the border over the past decade to escape political and economic difficulties in their home country.
Unlike the current administration’s tougher stance, previous conservative governments had generally adopted a more accommodating position towards Venezuelan migrants, viewing many of them as victims of the crisis under former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The new immigration directive signals a significant shift in Colombia’s approach to undocumented migrants, particularly those accused or convicted of criminal offences
