Colombia President Faces Backlash Over Deportation Plan for Undocumented Migrants

Bogota, Colombia – Opposition politicians and migrant communities in Colombia have condemned President Abelardo de la Espriella's plan to launch a campaign deporting foreigners residing illegally in the country.

Speaking at a security council meeting on Sunday, de la Espriella ordered police to begin deportation operations as early as this week. The policy is expected to primarily affect Venezuelans, the largest migrant community in Colombia.

This marks a sharp departure from previous administrations, which sought to create legal immigration pathways for those fleeing hardship in Venezuela.

"I will not accept any illegal immigrant, no matter where they come from," de la Espriella said in a video posted on social media platform X on Sunday night. "They will have to leave and be deported. This is a political decision for which I take responsibility."

The right-wing president, who took office earlier this month, said the government would first target those who "committed crimes," followed by those with "unregularized residency status."

Opposition Reaction

De la Espriella's announcement has sparked outrage among opposition leaders, including left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda, who narrowly lost the June election. Cepeda leads the Historic Pact bloc, the largest party in Colombia's Congress.

"Today, de la Espriella has added xenophobia to all the authoritarian, tyrannical, and discriminatory traits of his policies," Cepeda wrote on X.

Cepeda also accused de la Espriella of failing to protect Colombian citizens deported from the United States. "De la Espriella is bold enough to target migrants from Latin American countries in Colombia, but cowardly when it comes to defending our compatriots in the U.S.," he said.

Maria del Mar Pizarro, a legislator from the Historic Pact bloc, questioned whether the campaign is about security or discrimination. "Foreigners who commit crimes must be prosecuted, but pursuing and deporting someone solely for their irregular immigration status is populism, not security," she said.

Pizarro also pointed out that with a roughly 2,200-kilometer border between the two countries, it would be difficult to prevent deported Venezuelans from returning to Colombia.

Concerns from the Venezuelan Community

De la Espriella announced the campaign would begin with a pilot program in the coastal city of Barranquilla, home to about 182,000 Venezuelans. Members of the Venezuelan community there fear the campaign will reinforce negative stereotypes about their community.

"We must not confuse illegal immigration with crime. These are two completely different things," said Juan Carlos Viloria Doria, vice president of the organization Venezuelans in Barranquilla. He supports prosecuting criminals but argued that the law should apply to everyone "regardless of nationality."

Viloria also noted that many migrants could face political persecution if deported to Venezuela. UN experts and human rights organizations have accused the Venezuelan government of "repressive" activities, including arbitrary detention and torture of dissidents.

"There are people who left because they believe their lives, freedom, or safety are under threat," Viloria explained. "Add to that the economic, social, and humanitarian conditions Venezuela continues to face."

Ronald Vergara, who moved to Colombia in 2016 and founded the NGO Fundacion Hermanos Caminantes, fears the campaign will harm an already vulnerable community. "Deporting those who came here to survive and work—decent people, who are the majority among us—is truly inhumane," he told Al Jazeera.

Despite living in Colombia for 10 years, Vergara only received a Temporary Protection Permit (PPT) a few months ago due to system delays. His 17-year-old son is still waiting for documentation. "He is about to graduate from high school but cannot graduate without a PPT," he said.

A Break from Political Tradition

According to experts, de la Espriella's announcement signals a new anti-immigrant political era in Colombia. Since the Venezuelan migration crisis began, successive Bogota administrations have supported newcomers and created integration opportunities.

In 2017, President Juan Manuel Santos introduced a two-year temporary residency permit for Venezuelans. In 2021, President Ivan Duque rolled out the PPT. The most recent predecessor, Gustavo Petro, adopted a pro-migrant stance.

Ronal Rodriguez, spokesperson for the Venezuela Observatory at Rosario University in Bogota, believes de la Espriella's policy disrupts a years-long trend. "Everyone had a pro-migration stance and used language promoting integration. Unfortunately, this ends with what President Abelardo de la Espriella is saying," he said.

Full details of the deportation plan have yet to be released. Rodriguez hopes the president might "reconsider and return to the integration policies of the Colombian government."