Colombia is dramatically changing its approach to immigration.

Newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella has ordered immigration authorities and police to begin operations targeting migrants living in the country without legal status, with raids expected to begin as early as this week.

The new president announced the crackdown during a security meeting in Barranquilla, saying authorities will first target foreign nationals involved in criminal activity before moving on to migrants who have not regularized their immigration status.

The decision represents a major shift for a country that became one of the world’s most important destinations for Venezuelans fleeing years of economic and political crisis.

Nearly 3 Million Venezuelans Live in Colombia

Although De la Espriella’s order applies to migrants regardless of nationality, Venezuelans will be particularly affected.

Approximately 2.8 million Venezuelans currently live in Colombia, making it home to the world’s largest Venezuelan migrant population.

An estimated 848,000 Venezuelans are currently living in Colombia with irregular immigration status, according to reporting from El País.

For years, Colombia took a dramatically different approach.

In 2021, former president Iván Duque’s government introduced a temporary protection program designed to give Venezuelan migrants legal status and access to employment, health care and other services. Around 2.3 million Venezuelans received temporary residence permits through the program.

De la Espriella’s new policy signals a significant departure from that approach.

Immigration and Crime Become Political Issue

The president has presented the crackdown as part of a broader effort to reduce crime and confront criminal organizations.

His government says enforcement will prioritize migrants involved in criminal activity before authorities address people whose only violation is lacking regular immigration status.

Critics, however, warn against connecting immigration broadly with crime.

Migrant advocacy organizations argue that Venezuelans are being unfairly blamed for Colombia’s security problems and point to research suggesting migrants are not more likely to commit crimes than Colombians.

There are also questions about how quickly Colombia can actually carry out large-scale immigration operations.

Migración Colombia is facing staffing and leadership challenges, raising questions about the government’s ability to identify, process and potentially deport hundreds of thousands of people.

A Major Change for Colombia

The crackdown comes just weeks into De la Espriella’s presidency.

He was sworn into office on August 7 and has positioned security, crime and tougher immigration enforcement among his government’s priorities.

His approach also represents a notable political reversal in Colombia.

For more than a decade, governments from different sides of the political spectrum generally supported humanitarian protections for Venezuelans fleeing their country’s crisis. Colombia’s response was frequently highlighted internationally as an example of large-scale migrant integration.

Now, that era appears to be changing.

The first operations are expected to begin in Barranquilla, where immigration officials and police will work together to identify foreign nationals accused of crimes and people without regular immigration status.

What happens next could have consequences well beyond Colombia.

With millions of Venezuelans living throughout South America, a large-scale deportation campaign by the country hosting the biggest Venezuelan diaspora could reshape the region’s immigration debate — and potentially the lives of hundreds of thousands of families.