Colombia Says “Colombians First” as New President Launches Immigration Crackdown

Maria Herrera Mellado

A Trump-style immigration crackdown is underway in Colombia — and hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants could be caught in the middle.

Colombia’s new conservative president,  Abelardo de la Espriella , has ordered immigration authorities and police to begin coordinated operations targeting foreigners who are in the country without regular immigration status, marking one of the sharpest shifts in Colombia’s migration policy in more than a decade.

During a security meeting in Barranquilla, de la Espriella instructed authorities to begin operations against immigrants, prioritizing those involved in criminal activity and then those whose immigration status has not been regularized. He said deportations should begin as soon as possible.

The president has also declared that criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, extortion, illegal mining and smuggling will be treated as terrorists.

Colombia is preparing a crackdown on irregular migration, with President Abelardo de la Espriella ordering operations to identify and deport foreigners without legal status.

Those involved in crimes will be targeted first, followed by people who have not regularised their… pic.twitter.com/IRxbMErhRg

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