Colombian immigrants
Colombian immigrants represent a significant and growing demographic in the United States, primarily driven by political instability and socio-economic challenges in Colombia. Since the late twentieth century, the number of Colombians moving to the U.S. has surged, making them the largest South American immigrant group by 2018, and numbering around 1.6 million by 2021. Historical events, such as the civil war beginning in 1948 and the rise of drug-related violence in the 1980s, have prompted many Colombians to seek refuge and better opportunities abroad.
The immigrant experience for Colombians in the U.S. is often marked by the struggle for legal status amid high levels of undocumented immigration. Despite challenges, Colombians have made notable contributions to American society while also facing stereotypes linked to drug trafficking. Remittances play a vital role in their communities, with billions of dollars sent back to support families in Colombia, highlighting the interconnectedness of the two nations. As of 2023, Colombians continue to seek asylum in the U.S., making up a significant portion of asylum applicants. Overall, the Colombian diaspora reflects a resilient community navigating the complexities of immigration and cultural identity in the U.S.
Colombian immigrants
SIGNIFICANCE: Although Colombian immigrants are relative newcomers to the United States (US), their numbers began increasing greatly during the last decades of the twentieth century. By 2018, Colombians were the largest South American immigrant group in the US, accounting for 24 percent of all South Americans in the country. In the 2020s, Colombians remained the largest South American immigrant group in the US, with approximately 1.6 million US residents either born in Colombia or reporting Colombian ancestry as of 2021.
Since the mid-twentieth century, tumultuous developments in Colombia have spurred large numbers of Colombians to immigrate to the US. As in many other Latin American countries, Colombia’s political instability has significantly motivated people to leave the country. Colombia has lacked political stability since it became independent of the Spanish Empire in 1819. In 1948, a civil war broke out between conservative and liberal factions within the country. Throughout the 1950s—a period remembered as the Violencia—hundreds of thousands of Colombians were killed or displaced from their homes. The election of President Carlos Lleras Restrepo during the late 1960s brought some stability to the country. However, political turmoil returned in 1974 with the defeat of the ruling political party. The 1980s witnessed a dramatic upsurge in Colombia’s political, social, and economic problems due to the unprecedented factor of drug-related crime. The widespread sale and use of illegal drugs, particularly cocaine, was the primary catalyst for the continuing unrest in Colombia.
Colombian Diaspora
The early twenty-first century has seen much debate over the number of Colombians residing in the US. Colombia’s census bureau estimated that 4.1 million Colombians were living abroad in 2005; about one-half of these people lived in the US. However, data from the US Census Bureau showed only 730,510 Colombians residing within US borders during that year. The discrepancy between the Colombian and US government figures is almost certainly due to the high levels of undocumented Colombian immigration into the US. As of the 2021 American Community Survey, an estimated 809,317 foreign-born people of Colombian descent live in the US, of which 510,486 were US citizens. According to the 2022 American Community Survey numbers, the estimated number of foreign-born individuals of Colombian descent living in the US had increased to 855,500 in just one year.
The many Colombian natives living outside their homeland are evidence of a major diaspora. Historically, the number of Colombians who immigrated to the US did not become significant until about 1948, when Colombia’s civil war began. That war caused many rural Colombians to move into Colombia’s urban areas. An overabundance of workers in the cities helped cause an economic recession, increasing emigration to the US. The disruptions of the Violencia era and the growing social networks of Colombians in the US also encouraged more Colombians to emigrate.
Through the end of the 1980s, Colombians living in the US were almost exclusively upper-middle- and upper-class professionals. Migration of these individuals resulted in a massive brain drain from Colombia. During the 1990s, however, less educated Colombian laborers began immigrating to the US in larger numbers.
The emergence of Colombia’s illegal narcotics industry during the 1980s compounded the nation’s political and economic problems. Drug-related crime began affecting the lives of everyday Colombians. Through murder, assassination, bombings, and kidnappings, the drug cartels gained so much power that they demanded political control and threatened the very foundation of Colombia’s political structure. Growing political instability brought new levels of internal population movements and emigration. Many Colombians fled to Venezuela, Spain, and the US. Colombia’s problems with drug cartels, economic recession, and political instability persisted throughout the 1990s.
Colombian Immigrants to the United States
Escalating violence and political disorder in Colombia have driven increasing numbers of its citizens to seek asylum in other countries, and most asylum seekers have come to the US 2003, 11,600 Colombian immigrants classified as asylum seekers were in the US, making Colombians the second-largest asylum applicant population. The U.S. government can grant Colombians temporary protective status (TPS). This status is normally reserved for refugees from countries whose citizens are in grave, imminent danger. However, that status is rarely granted, and the US has not acknowledged appeals from human rights organizations and the Colombian government to grant Colombians the status. Colombians attempting to enter the US must instead secure legal immigrant status—a process all immigrants face, but many underestimate its difficulty. Although many Colombians are granted legal permanent residence status, many others are stuck in an ambiguous, undocumented category. As the twenty-first century progressed, the appearance of Colombian migrants at the US's southern border increased dramatically. In February 2022, 9650 migrants attempted to enter the US, and the number of Colombian migrants attempting to enter the US increased by 286 percent from 2021 to 2022. The Biden administration was forced to implement immigration enforcement measures to control the flow of migrants, including those from Colombia. Still, in 2023, Colombians constituted the fifth-largest group of individuals attempting to seek asylum in the US.
Colombians in the United States
Since they first arrived in the US in substantial numbers, Colombians have strived to establish their own identity among the numerous Hispanic populations and find their place within mainstream America. However, many immigrants endure the effects of stereotyping and discrimination because of negative American perceptions of Colombia as a drug-trafficking, criminal country, even though a minuscule number of Colombians in the US engage in illegal activities.
Remittances, the transfers of money from Colombian Americans to relatives in Colombia, are an essential part of immigrant life. In 2021 alone, Colombian residents of the US remitted an estimated $8.61 billion to Colombia to aid relatives and friends. This number has only increased each year. In 2022, Colombians in the US sent approximately $9.4 billion in remittances back to Colombia and $10.091 billion in 2023. The increasing number of remittances further illustrates the dramatic rise in migration from Colombia to the US. It provides evidence of greater interdependence between the two nations and their peoples.
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