Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,
Colombia's new president has ordered immigration raids this week and promised deportations of immigrants without legal status.
Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella speaks during a press conference at the Palacio de San Carlos in Bogota, Colombia, on August 12, 2026. (Esteban Vega La-Rotta/AFP via Getty Images)President Abelardo de la Espriella, sworn in three weeks ago, described the move as a crucial step in reducing crime.
The order went out during a security council session in Barranquilla, with police and the national migration agency tasked with the job. Operations are set to begin this week.
"I will not accept any illegal immigrants, wherever they come from," De la Espriella said in a video posted Sunday on his X account. "They will have to leave and be deported. It is a political decision I am taking responsibility for."
He is prioritizing those committing crimes, but will also focus on those lacking legal status to be in the country.
"Colombians must come first, second and third," he said. "Let the coordinated operations begin to find illegal immigrants, first those committing crimes, then those whose status is not regularized."
Approximately 2.8 million Venezuelans live in Colombia, representing the largest such group outside their country. Most fled economic collapse and political pressure at home, with previous governme
