Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella Announces Crackdown on Immigrants

Colombia’s new far-right president, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced an immigration crackdown on Sunday, ordering national authorities to detain and deport individuals who are living in the country irregularly or who have committed crimes. De la Espriella, a millionaire former lawyer and ally of Donald Trump, stated that operations to track down illegal immigrants should begin this week. The order comes just over two weeks after de la Espriella took office. The announcement was made as Colombia continues to contend with the widespread damage caused by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck on August 10. The natural disaster killed more than 300 people and destroyed over 30,000 homes across the country.