Colombia and Peru intensify migration and identity fraud controls

Authorities in Colombia and Peru are intensifying efforts to combat irregular migration and identity fraud.

In Colombia, the National Registrar of Civil Status, Hernán Penagos, announced that approximately 1,830 citizenship IDs held by foreigners have been canceled due to false identities. The agency is utilizing data analytics and artificial intelligence to detect fraudulent patterns, such as transnational criminal organizations using forged civil registries and apostilles. Investigations revealed anomalies where certain individuals acted as witnesses for over 2,000 birth registrations or appeared as parents in more than 50 records. Since 2024, 765 birth registries have been annulled.

In Peru, the Ministry of the Interior and the National Superintendency of Migrations conducted a large-scale migratory operation in Trujillo, La Libertad. During the intervention, 260 foreign nationals were intercepted to verify their legal status. Officials reported that 60 individuals were found to be in an irregular migratory situation and will face deportation procedures. The operation, supervised by Interior Minister César Astudillo Salcedo and Superintendent Luis Yunis Herrera, aims to strengthen national security and internal order.