Colombia to mass deport undocumented migrants: president

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has vowed to start deporting undocumented migrants as part of a broader security policy. Police operations will begin as soon as this week, he said at a weekend security council meeting.



"The order to Immigration is clear: begin coordinated operations to track down illegal immigrants: first, those who are committing crimes, and second, those whose immigration status is not in order. Ultimately, they will have to be deported," he said in remarks broadcast Monday, noting that armed rebel groups will be treated as terrorists.



De la Espriella said his administration will immediately set up a national task force to tackle extortion, bringing together the army, police, navy and air force in coordination with the Attorney General's Office and the judiciary.



He also ordered a crackdown on extortion inside prisons, including stepped-up raids, expanded informant networks, expedited prisoner transfers and a rewards system for good behavior.



Just sworn into office earlier this month, De la Espriella has vowed to create elite units of specialized prosecutors and judges in each city and reactivate the Financial Information and Analysis Unit, an intelligence agency that will have access to banking records from the past four years under the administration of his predecessor, Gustavo Petro.