Colombia Prepares Massive Regularization of Migrants

Colombia is preparing a plan for a massive regularization of up to 350,000 migrants. This was the announcement made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luis Gilberto Murillo, after participating in the High Level Strategic Dialogue yesterday, April 11, at the White House in the U.S. capital. Murillo said that this is the first step in a family reunification program that will give priority to children and adolescents.

In addition to the family reunification plan, this regulatory framework will also contemplate an additional regulation so that migrants in an irregular situation, around 250,000 people, can obtain a special visa to work and integrate into Colombian society.

Family reunification of migrants

According to Murillo, this will be a first approach in a family reunification program, in which priority will be given to children. “These families will be reunited and will be able to integrate into Colombian society,” said the minister.

Subsequent to family reunification, the plan foresees extending regularization to a total of 250,000 more people who, as of today, are in an irregular situation in Colombian territory. Murillo stressed that Colombia is promoting this type of foreign policy action to achieve a safe, orderly and regular migration, where the regularization and socioeconomic integration of migrants is prioritized, rather than their criminalization.

This also aims to prevent and protect migrants from associated crimes, such as human trafficking and migrant smuggling. “This implies significant support from the international community. Colombia continues to be a model in terms of its migration policy, but it requires greater support from the international community and that is what we are proposing to the United States. We value the collaboration we have had, but we obviously need more funds for this type of activities,” Murillo said.

Immigration profile in Colombia

According to the census conducted in 2018, the census population that indicated that they were born in another country was 963 492, corresponding to 2.18% of the total population. Today, this figure is projected to be significantly higher. According to the latest data published by the United Nations, 1,905,393 immigrants reside in Colombia, representing 3.78% of the population.

By region, the percentage of foreigners in the country fluctuates between 0.16% for the department of Choco and 8.35% in the department of Arauca, the latter bordering Venezuela. Venezuelans constitute the largest number of immigrants in Colombia, representing more than 90% of the total number of immigrants in the country. The volume increased notably after the Venezuelan crisis, starting in 2014.

The data are clarifying: the main countries of origin of immigration in Colombia are Venezuela, 93.44%; the United States, 1.09%; Ecuador, 1.01% and Spain, 0.92%.

In the past, the Colombian government has already had massive regularization policies for foreigners, essentially to address the humanitarian emergency of the Venezuelan diaspora. In this context, the government of President Ivan Duque created the Temporary Statute for the Protection of Venezuelan Migrants.

This migratory exceptionality was promoted in 2021 to “allow the transit of Venezuelan migrants who are in the country from a temporary protection regime to an ordinary migratory regime”, that is, Venezuelan migrants who avail themselves of the measure will have a period of 10 years to acquire an ordinary visa.

USA, a strategic partner for Colombia

At the High-Level Strategic Dialogue at the White House, the head of Colombian diplomacy met with the Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States, Jonathan Finer; the Senior Director of the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere, Daniel Erikson; the Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the Department of State, Brian Nichols; and the Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy of the Department of Homeland Security, Blas Nuñez-Neto.

Likewise, last Wednesday, the Colombian minister held conversations with Senators Tom Carper, of the Democratic Party, and Bill Cassidy, of the Republican Party, with whom he discussed the initiative of a bill for the Americas.

In these meetings, the head of Colombian diplomacy emphasized the character of the United States as a “strategic partner” for Colombia. For Murillo, this week’s meetings with U.S. legislators “demonstrate the good health of bipartisan relations”, both with Democrats and Republicans.