{"id":3133,"date":"2026-08-25T04:23:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T04:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=3133"},"modified":"2026-08-25T04:23:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T04:23:01","slug":"colombian-president-orders-immigration-raids-vows-deportations-of-migrants-without-legal-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=3133","title":{"rendered":"Colombian president orders immigration raids, vows deportations of migrants without legal status"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BOGOTA, Colombia<\/a> \u2014 Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella<\/a> has promised to deport thousands of migrants who are in the country without residence permits, mainly Venezuelans, as he attempts to make significant changes to the nation\u2019s immigration policies that he says will reduce crime.<\/p>\n

De la Espriella, who was sworn into office three weeks ago, said that he would order the country\u2019s national immigration service to conduct raids with Colombian police as early as this week. He announced the new policy in a video released on Sunday night in his X account where he spoke of multiple measures to reduce crime and confront criminal groups.<\/p>\n

The ultra conservative leader, who is closely aligned with the U.S. President Donald Trump, said that law enforcement will first target migrants who are \u201ccommitting crimes\u201d and then, those who are living in the country without regular status.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will not accept any illegal immigrants, wherever they come from,\u201d de la Espriella said in the video. \u201cThey will have to leave and be deported. It is a political decision I am taking responsibility for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most migrants living in Colombia<\/a> come from neighboring Venezuela<\/a>, a nation that lost about a fifth of its population over the past decade as Venezuelans fled a repressive regime that oversaw years of economic turmoil, and a 75% contraction in the nation\u2019s GDP.<\/p>\n

Around 2.8 million Venezuelans were living in Colombia<\/a> as of August, according to the United Nations, making it the largest Venezuelan diaspora. In July, Colombia\u2019s<\/a> national immigration service said that it had granted temporary residence permits to about 2.3 million Venezuelans under a scheme rolled out in 2021 by then President Ivan Duque during the peak of Venezuela\u2019s<\/a> immigration crisis.<\/p>\n

De la Espriella\u2019s effort to deport migrants who have no regular status marks a major shift for Colombia<\/a>, which had long worked to protect incoming Venezuelans and grant them a pathway towards permanent residency.<\/p>\n