Hundreds of Colombians lined up outside of the Colombian consulate in Coral Gables, on Monday, following President Donald Trump’s economic and deportation threat against their home country of Colombia.
7News cameras captured long lines of people outside the consulate. Some people said they had been standing outside since 3 a.m. to get their paperwork in order.
“To renew my passport,” said a man.
“Long time for waiting here,” said another man.
“To renew my passport,” said a third man.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 240,000 Colombians live in South Florida in 2023.
Following Trump’s back-and-forth with Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over deportation flights, many Colombians said they are bracing for impact.
Carolina Agudello, a Colombian woman who has lived in Miami legally for decades, said she is scared for her family, which doesn’t have the legal paperwork.
“They have to go back to their country and start all over, which you can, but it’s not gonna be easy for them,” she said. “They are paying their taxes, they’re only here to work, they’re not hurting anybody. It hurts seeing them like that. They don’t even wanna get out of the house, not go anywhere, but let’s wait, you know, have faith.”
Another woman who spoke to 7News outside of the consulate said the U.S. government should find another way to address non-criminal migrants.
“Of course the people that have maybe a past, like they are criminals or they have things that are bad for us, but for the people that really want to have a good life and a good future and for the kids and the families, I think it’s not the way.”
In Washington, D.C., three members of Congress were sworn into Congress and reacted to Trump’s social media threat against Colombia over the weekend.
“It looks like Trump‘s negotiating worked,” said U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23).
But not all were pleased with the threats.
“If we try to be the bully of the world and bully our allies into submission, we’re not going to get a lot accomplished,” said U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-FL-25)
Back in South Florida, Vazquez said people will take the opportunities for a better life.
“We’re human at the end and we need equal opportunities,” said one woman.
In Colombia, people lining up outside the U.S. embassy in Bogota were handed letters informing them that their visa appointments had been canceled due to Colombia’s refusal to accept repatriation flights.
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