Migration Colombia logged 5,965 deportations and expulsions since 2022
“The order to Migration is clear: coordinated operations with the police must begin in Barranquilla to find illegal immigrants,” De la Espriella said, according to the statement. The president said authorities would first target foreign nationals committing crimes and then those who had not regularized their immigration status in Colombia. “This is a presidential order that must begin to be carried out this week,” he said. “I will not accept illegal immigrants, regardless of where they come from, who are committing crimes in Colombia. They will leave, and we will deport them.” De la Espriella described the measure as a political and administrative decision by his government.
Deportations and expulsions were already a routine part of Colombia’s immigration policy before the Tuesday announcement. Between August 2022 and June, Migration Colombia documented 3,389 deportations and 2,576 expulsions — a total of 5,965 people, according to the agency. The leading reasons for deportation during that period were remaining in the country without legal status, with 1,380 cases, and entering or leaving the country illegally, with 1,315 cases. Other cases involved fraudulent documents, false statements, unauthorized activities, court orders and threats to national security or public order. Migration Colombia said deportations and expulsions require individual administrative proceedings.
The president’s office said the announcement did not include a decree, an enforcement protocol or a deportation target, and the government has not explained whether the order changes existing legal standards or seeks to intensify enforcement already carried out by Colombia’s immigration authority.
The directive fulfills a campaign promise De la Espriella made in June, when he was still a candidate. At that time, he said foreign nationals who entered Colombia legally would receive guarantees, while those who violated immigration rules would be returned to their home countries, El Colombiano reported.
Colombia is home to more than 2.8 million Venezuelans, the country’s largest foreign population. Migration Colombia had registered 2,831,561 Venezuelan nationals intending to settle in Colombia as of Aug. 31, 2025, according to an official report.
The Association of Venezuelans in Barranquilla called on authorities to respect due process and the right to a defense during the operations. “Anyone who commits a crime must answer to the justice system, regardless of whether they are Colombian, Venezuelan or any other nationality,” the organization said. However, it warned that “irregular immigration status is not synonymous with criminality,” according to Caracol Radio.