Colombia’s new president faces backlash over ‘inhumane’ deportation policy

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has announced a sweeping deportation campaign targeting foreign nationals living irregularly in the country, drawing sharp criticism from opposition politicians and human rights advocates.

The far-right president, who was inaugurated earlier this month, unveiled the crackdown during a security council meeting on Sunday. He ordered police to begin operations as soon as this week, starting with a pilot program in the coastal city of Barranquilla, which hosts an estimated 182,000 Venezuelans. De la Espriella stated his government will prioritize individuals who have committed crimes before moving to deport those without regularized immigration status.

"I will not accept any illegal immigrants, wherever they come from," de la Espriella said in a video posted on X. "They will have to leave and be deported. It is a political decision I am taking responsibility for."

The measure primarily impacts Colombia's Venezuelan population, which makes up roughly 95 percent of the country's foreign nationals, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. An estimated 2.8 million Venezuelans reside in Colombia, making it the largest Venezuelan diaspora in the world. Migration authorities estimate that around 500,000 lack valid legal permission to remain, often due to expired temporary permits or administrative delays.

The policy marks a major departure from previous Colombian administrations. Over the past decade, leaders across the political spectrum—including former presidents Juan Manuel Santos, Ivan Duque, and Gustavo Petro—implemented measures to integrate fleeing Venezuelans, such as offering Temporary Protection Permits. Ronal Rodriguez, a researcher at Bogota's Rosario University, noted that de la Espriella’s stance effectively ends a long-standing political consensus in Colombia that favored migrant integration.

Opposition leaders quickly denounced the announcement. Leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda, leader of the Historic Pact party, accused de la Espriella of adding xenophobia to his policies while failing to protect Colombian migrants facing deportation from the United States. Congresswoman Maria del Mar Pizarro characterized the campaign as populism rather than genuine security policy, warning that without effective border controls along the 2,200-kilometer border with Venezuela, deported individuals would simply return.

Migrant advocacy groups also expressed alarm over the potential human rights fallout. Juan Carlos Viloria Doria, vice president of Venezuelans in Barranquilla, urged authorities not to confuse irregular migration status with criminality, emphasizing that many migrants fled political persecution and dire economic conditions in Venezuela.

Ronald Vergara, founder of the support organization Fundacion Hermanos Caminantes, called the prospect of mass deportations inhumane. He stressed that many undocumented migrants are law-abiding individuals trapped in bureaucratic backlogs while trying to secure legal permits.

United Nations estimates show that more than 7.6 million people have left Venezuela since 2014 amid severe economic contraction, hyperinflation, and political repression under the government in Caracas.