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.
For Americans, the Colombian government’s approach will sound familiar.
De la Espriella has adopted a distinctly “Colombians First” message, echoing the nationalist “America First” language associated with President Donald Trump. He has also sought closer security ties with Washington, including direct discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Hundreds of Thousands of Venezuelans Could Be Affected
The number at the center of the controversy is enormous.
Colombia is home to approximately 2.8 million Venezuelans, making it the largest host country for Venezuelan immigrants. Roughly 848,000 are estimated to be illegally in Colombia, including approximately 193,000 children and teenagers, according to figures cited by international reporting.
Other reports have cited a figure of more than 500,000 Venezuelans without status
De la Espriella has explicitly ordered authorities to locate immigrants who have not regularized their status and begin the process of removing them.
This is a major change for Colombia.
For years, successive Colombian governments took a comparatively welcoming approach toward Venezuelans fleeing the economic and political collapse of Nicolás Maduro’s Venezuela.
In 2021, Colombia established a temporary protection program that allowed eligible Venezuelans to obtain legal status and work authorization.
Approximately 2.3 million Venezuelans eventually received temporary residence permits under that program.
De la Espriella’s administration has now signaled a different priority: enforcement first.
Enforcement and Security
A sovereign nation has the right to decide who enters its territory, who may remain and under what conditions.
De la Espriella has made immigration enforcement part of a much larger campaign against organized crime. His administration is targeting drug traffickers, extortion networks, smugglers, illegal miners and armed criminal groups while promising stronger support for Colombian security forces.
The president’s position is essentially that Colombia cannot effectively fight organized crime while ignoring immigration violations or allowing foreign criminals to operate inside the country.
Venezuelans Are at the Center of the Debate
Venezuelans are expected to bear the brunt of the policy simply because they represent roughly 90% of Colombia’s immigrant population.
Many arrived after fleeing political repression, economic collapse and insecurity in Venezuela.
Colombian opposition politicians have condemned the policy, arguing that it could stigmatize Venezuelans and undermine the country’s previous humanitarian approach.
Critics also point out that there are also practical questions that might make enforcement difficult. Colombia’s immigration agency may not have enough personnel to conduct immigration operations on the scale envisioned by the president.
Authorities must identify people subject to removal, conduct the necessary administrative procedures and arrange deportations. Colombia also has to deal with the practical realities of returning Venezuelan nationals across a complicated border.
And with hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans potentially affected, the consequences could extend far beyond Colombia’s borders.
This is no longer just a Colombian immigration story. It is another sign that the political center of gravity on immigration is shifting across the Americas.
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