The U.S. Must Prioritize Colombian Security in 2022
By Marco Rubio
Colombia has started the new year with a concerning security situation — one that has been enabled by President Biden’s dismal approach to Latin America during his first year in office. The current administration must correct course and focus on supporting and enhancing our bilateral relationships with Colombia and other allies in the region, which are critical to the stability of the Western Hemisphere and to our own national security interests.
On January 3, conflict broke out between paramilitary groups in Colombia’s Arauca province. Troops from the National Liberation Army (ELN), a left-wing Foreign Terrorist Organization, fought with dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). This is the first clash between the ELN and FARC-linked forces since 2010, and it brings back bad memories of horrific drug trade-related violence.
The reemergence of armed conflict near Colombia’s border with Venezuela is a clear indication of how the Maduro regime and left-wing rebel groups continue to sow instability in the region. Communist dictator Nicolás Maduro, who hijacked the Venezuelan presidency in 2019, is using his illegitimate position to protect both the ELN and FARC dissidents inside his own country. Guerilla leader Iván Márquez, who still must face justice for his past crimes, is among them.
In exchange for kickbacks on cocaine sales, the Venezuelan narco-regime allows these groups to carry out their illegal, lucrative acts. Colombia’s military estimates that almost 2,000 rebels and criminals from a variety of organizations are operating inside Venezuelan territory.
Colombia is America’s strongest democratic ally in the Western Hemisphere. For the sake of our allies in Latin America, and for our own national interest, the Biden Administration should make Colombia’s security a high priority. This is especially important given Colombia’s presidential elections begin in less than five months. I will be writing a letter to President Biden urging for a stronger U.S. posture as events in Arauca and Norte de Santander threaten sources of stability, development, and progress in the region.
Sadly, the Biden Administration is actively contributing to instability in our hemisphere, even as China expands its power into our backyard. The most egregious instance of this was the November 2021 decision to remove the FARC from the State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
This misguided policy change, taken against the wishes of the Colombian government, gave a false air of legitimacy to a band of drug-dealing extremists, some of whom have now taken up arms again. It is not too late to change course, though. That starts with supporting Colombia’s legitimate government and pushing back against the Maduro regime’s subversive influence.
The citizens of Colombia are well aware that the stakes in their homeland are high in 2022. And for Colombian-Americans, many of whom reside in my home state of Florida, this is not just a foreign policy issue — it is personal.
The outcome of the upcoming presidential elections will also impact our nation as a whole. Further instability in the Western Hemisphere will lead to more drugs, illegal immigration, and chaos making their way into the U.S. The Biden Administration cannot allow that to happen.
