Ecuador deports hundreds of Colombian inmates

Ecuadorean authorities have deported hundreds of Colom­bian prisoners, despite Bogota protesting that the move to ease jail overcrowding came without prior agreement.

Colombian released inmates wait to be registered by immigration agents after being deported from Ecuador. Picture: AFP

Ecuadorean authorities on Saturday said they had deported hundreds of Colom­bian prisoners via a land border crossing, after Bogota protested that the move came without prior agreement.

In 2024, Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa announced his intention to deport Colombian inmates to ease overcrowding in the country’s prisons.

Small groups were transferred starting in April.

Colombian President Gus­tavo Petro opposed the move, saying a joint plan was needed to safeguard the prisoners’ rights.

The Colombian Foreign Ministry in a statement said about 450 Colombians had been deported through the Rumichaca border crossing in Carchi province. Governor Diana Pozo had previously told reporters that 800 prisoners had been transported through the crossing.

SNAI, the Ecuadoran agency that oversees jails, later said in a statement that more than 700 Colombians were in the process of being deported.

“This action reaffirms the Ecuadoran government’s commitment to internal security and public order,” the statement said.

The inmates, wearing orange uniforms, waited in line to re-enter their home country under the watchful eye of Ecuadoran police and military personnel.

Juan Morales, an official in the Colombian town of Ipiales, said authorities had to scramble to handle the influx of people because Ecuador had not informed them of the deportations.

Drug trafficking gangs operating in Ecuador – some involving Colombian criminals – have turned the country into one of the most violent in Latin America.

AFP