Colombia is significantly tightening its migration and security policies. The new president, Abelardo De La Espriella, has ordered the police and immigration authorities to launch coordinated operations against foreigners residing in the country without proper authorization. The priority will be individuals linked to criminal activity, but other migrants with unresolved residency status will also be targeted, who may face deportation.
Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella announced the new approach during a security council meeting in Barranquilla. According to his instructions, the first coordinated operations by the police and the Colombian Migration Office should begin this week.
"The directive for migration is clear," said the president, stating that authorities should initially focus on migrants involved in criminal activity and then on individuals whose residency status has not been properly legalized. In cases of non-compliance with legal requirements, deportation will follow. The Colombian presidential office officially confirmed the publication of these instructions.
This new approach represents a significant change for a country that has become one of the main havens for people fleeing economic and political crises in Venezuela over the past decade.
According to the AP news agency, approximately 2.8 million Venezuelans are currently in Colombia. A large portion of them obtained the opportunity to legalize their residency through a temporary protection program introduced by former President Iván Duque in 2021. However, the new government is now signaling a much stricter approach towards individuals without valid residency permits.
De La Espriella only assumed office on August 7, 2026. Tightening security and migration policies are among the main priorities of his new administration.
Deportations are just one part of a broader security package. The president also announced the creation of a National Anti-Extortion Task Force, which will bring together the forces of the army, police, navy, and air force in collaboration with the Attorney General's Office and the judiciary.
The government intends to pay particular attention to extortion organized from prisons. It is therefore planning more intensive raids, expanding the network of informants, transferring some prisoners, and other measures aimed at disrupting the operation of criminal structures.
The strategy will also include the creation of specialized teams of prosecutors and judges in each city. At the same time, the government plans to strengthen the activities of the Colombian Financial Intelligence and Analysis Unit (UIAF), which monitors suspicious financial transactions and helps detect money laundering and financing of organized crime.
De La Espriella also stated that his government intends to treat armed illegal groups operating in Colombia as terrorist organizations. Security is therefore becoming one of the most prominent themes of the new Colombian administration in its early weeks.