On July 25, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa ordered the transfer and expulsion of more than 800 Colombians detained in Ecuador. The operation was carried out at the border crossing known as Rumichaca, where hundreds of Colombians dressed in orange crossed the border.
The measure caused a stir in Ecuador and Colombia, as Noboa, according to Colombian authorities, did not follow the usual extradition process, but sent the Colombian detainees out of the country. The Spanish newspaper El País stated that “Noboa is inspired by Trump’s anti-immigration discourse to deport Colombian prisoners”, a criticism that has been repeated in Ecuador and Colombia.
By allegedly failing to follow due process, Colombia was unable to respond quickly to the forced arrival of its fellow citizens serving sentences in Ecuador (only 11 of them have legal proceedings pending against them in Colombia). Therefore, upon crossing the bridge that connects the two countries, it is unclear if they will be detained, released, or possibly, retried in Colombia.
For this reason, several voices in Ecuadorian public discourse affirmed that the measure, which appeals to a kind of prison nationalism, will not have a positive effect on security, since many of those expelled could re-enter Ecuador through one of the numerous illegal border crossings not controlled by the authorities, and thus return to commit crimes in Ecuadorian territory.
Former secretary of government, Mauricio Gándara, said in this regard: “What the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs and the Interior of Ecuador seem not to have foreseen is that the expelled Colombian prisoners, who were serving sentences imposed by Ecuadorian judges for crimes committed in Ecuador … are mostly walking free in Ipiales and other Colombian cities, because when they approach the immigration offices of the northern country, those who did not have arrest warrants entered their country and enjoy freedom.”
Furthermore, Gándara said regarding the possible return of the now-former Colombian detainees: “It is not ruled out that many or only a few will return to Ecuador, due to the hundreds of illegal border crossings that exist. Certainly, if they choose to do so, they will not enter through Ecuadorian immigration offices. They are criminals, not naive people, and they must have their operational centers in our territory. Furthermore, more than likely, we assume they will have wives and children, and will not want to wait forty years to enter the country legally.”
However, the presidency maintains that the criminals will not return to the country due to the 40-year entry ban and because border crossings will be reinforced. John Reimberg, Ecuador’s secretary of the interior, asserted this: “We will not allow terror to cross our borders or take up residence in our streets.”
Harsh criticism from Bogotá
President Noboa said in an interview on Radio Sucre: “Legal procedures have been followed, we have been in contact with the Foreign Ministry, but we cannot keep 1,000 Colombian prisoners in Ecuadorian jails, and on top of that, they are a priority group … A foreign prisoner has priority, for example, in health care over a young Ecuadorian of 20 or 21 years old, because PPL (persons deprived of liberty) are priority groups.”
However, the Colombian government denies that legal and appropriate procedures have been followed, calling the measure “unilateral and unfriendly”. In this regard, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs filed a formal diplomatic protest against Quito’s decision, claiming that “international law was violated”.
“Colombia, through diplomatic channels, has expressed its strongest protest to the Government of Ecuador for this unfriendly gesture toward our country, and is evaluating the appropriate actions to address the situation,” stated the Colombian ministry. Additionally, the official document stated: “The problem we have had is that since we were not informed, we did not have a contingency plan to receive them.”
For its part, Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it had notified Bogotá of the deportations on July 8, affirming that they were carried out with respect for human rights and taking into account the individual circumstances of each of the detained Colombians.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on his X account: “Ecuador responds to us with disdain. That’s not right; the homeland of Manuelita Sáenz can bring us closer, not distance us. Bolívar’s Gran Colombian project, which could have another name, for example, the Amazon, is the vital heart of the world and, therefore, should not be divided. If Gran Colombia goes to war, humanity goes to war. If Gran Colombia meets, humanity meets.”
For now, Quito is expected to continue its policy of deporting Colombian and other prisoners in the coming weeks.
