Colombia's New President Abelardo de la Espriella Sparks Outrage Over Hardline Deportation Policy Targeting Venezuelan Migrants

Bogota, Colombia – Opposition politicians and migrant communities in Colombia have decried President Abelardo de la Espriella’s plan to launch a deportation campaign against foreign nationals living irregularly in the country. De la Espriella unveiled the crackdown during a security council meeting on Sunday, ordering police to begin operations as soon as this week. The policy is expected to primarily affect Venezuelans, by far the largest migrant population in Colombia, marking a stark departure from measures under previous administrations.

“I will not accept any illegal immigrants, wherever they come from,” said de la Espriella in a video shared on the social media platform X. The far-right president stated that his government will first target those committing crimes and then those whose status has not been regularised. Approximately 2.8 million Venezuelans reside in Colombia, with an estimated 500,000 lacking formal permission to stay, according to migration authorities.

The announcement triggered immediate uproar among opposition leaders. Leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda accused de la Espriella of adding xenophobia to authoritarian and discriminatory policies. Congresswoman Maria del Mar Pizarro also denounced the plans, questioning whether the campaign was genuinely about security or simply populism and discrimination.

Members of the Venezuelan diaspora, such as Juan Carlos Viloria Doria of Venezuelans in Barranquilla and Ronald Vergara of Fundacion Hermanos Caminantes, expressed deep fears that the crackdown would fuel negative stereotypes and endanger individuals facing political persecution or severe humanitarian crises back in Venezuela. Experts like Ronal Rodriguez of the Venezuela Observatory noted that the policy abruptly interrupts a years-long tradition of integration and pro-migrant stances maintained by previous leaders in Bogota.