Fri. Feb 14th, 2025

Alert in Colombia over the arrival of Iranians with false passports: migration fraud is on the rise

Colombian Migration is on alert due to the arrival of Iranian citizens with falsified passports at several airports in the country, including El Dorado Airport in Bogotá - credit El Dorado and Colombian Migration

According to Migración Colombia, Colombian passports, which allow visa-free access to more than 130 countries, are highly coveted by traffickers of fraudulent documents.

By Licsa Gomez

Amid strict daily checks at Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport, Colombian immigration authorities are on high alert over the arrival of Iranian citizens in the country with falsified Greek passports.

This situation has brought to light a growing concern about border security, given that Colombian passports are also highly valued for their ability to facilitate visa-free access to numerous countries. According to Migración Colombia, Colombian citizens can enter 135 countries without a visa, which represents a considerable advantage over other nationalities that face greater restrictions.

However, This privilege has turned the Colombian passport into one of the most coveted documents in the world of organized crime., which has led to the proliferation of fake passports.

The situation has reached a climax with some recent cases of Iranians trying to enter the country with fraudulent documents, raising alarm bells about a possible increase in the trafficking of forged documents and their use in illegal activities.

The most recent episode was recorded on January 9, 2025, when Migración Colombia, through its official account on the social network X, reported the non-admission of three Iranian citizens at El Dorado International Airport. According to the statement, The men from Brazil tried to travel to Cancun using forged Greek passportsDespite the public alert, Migración Colombia did not offer further details, but it was learned that the Iranians were returned to Brazil, the country from which they had arrived.

This is not an isolated case. Migration sources confirmed to Weather that in the previous days other similar incidents had also been recorded in Cúcuta, on the border with Venezuela, which has generated even more concern. On January 8, 2025, two Iranian citizens were arrested in the northern city after presenting fraudulent documents. These individuals had arrived from Venezuela, But when their passports were checked, they showed inconsistencies with immigration records, which led to their inadmissibility. They were returned to Venezuela as a preventive measure..

In another similar case, an Iranian woman was detained in Cúcuta after trying to enter the country without complying with immigration requirements. According to authorities, her passport also had irregularities and her immigration history could not be verified, so she was detained at the Camilo Daza International Airport and subsequently expelled from Colombia. According to the aforementioned media, the immigration police of the border city made the expulsion measure effective and handed her over to the Venezuelan authorities.

Colombia and the growing threat of fake passports

The increase in cases of falsified passports occurs in a context where Colombian authorities are already facing the challenge of fighting against the misuse of this type of document. According to Migración Colombia, 91% of illegal Colombian passports identified in the last three years belong to citizens of the Dominican RepublicThis phenomenon has led more than 600 Dominicans to obtain fraudulent Colombian identities, which has become a headache for immigration authorities.

In 2023, Migración Colombia identified 283 falsified documents, of which 271 were Dominican, followed by other false passports from countries such as Venezuela, Ecuador, Cuba, Lebanon, Palestine, Peru, China, Albania and Haiti. The attractiveness of Colombian passports places it in the global accessibility index at number 38 in the Henley and Partners ranking, much higher than the Dominican passport, which is ranked 69.

One of the most notorious cases of the use of false Colombian passports was that of Francelys María Furcal, captured in Spain with a false Colombian passport. Furcal, accused of homicide in Santo Domingo, allegedly paid around $1.000 to obtain the fraudulent document.

In this regard, Colombian authorities are closely monitoring the fraudulent use of Colombian passports in other territories, and it is expected that in the near future entry requirements for Colombian citizens will be strengthened in some countries due to this phenomenon.

Source: INFOBAE

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.