President Abelardo de la Espriella Orders Undocumented Migrant Deportations

Abelardo de la Espriella, the President of Colombia, announced a "Colombia First" immigration crackdown during a security council meeting in Barranquilla. He ordered the deportation of undocumented migrants, stating that police operations would begin as early as this week.

The enforcement strategy prioritizes the removal of illegal immigrants committing crimes before targeting those with irregular status. The policy primarily affects Venezuelans, with approximately 500,000 of the 2.8 million Venezuelans in Colombia lacking regular migration status.

This shift toward tougher enforcement aligns the Colombian administration with conservative Latin American leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump.