WASHINGTON — The Trump administration plans to provide $1 billion in security assistance to Colombia under newly inaugurated President Abelardo De La Espriella, the U.S. State Department said on Friday, signaling a renewed security partnership between Washington and Bogotá.
The announcement came shortly after De La Espriella was sworn in as Colombia’s president on Friday, following his victory in the June runoff election. The State Department said the United States, working with Congress, intended to announce the $1 billion package as part of a broader security partnership aimed at supporting the new government’s shared objectives.
The department did not immediately provide details on how the assistance would be allocated or what specific military, law-enforcement or counter-narcotics programs it would fund.
The proposed package comes as De La Espriella has made combating drug trafficking and armed groups a central priority of his administration. In his inaugural address at a military base in Cali, he said Colombia’s government would take a tougher approach toward criminal and narco-terrorist organizations.
“The time has come to restore order, authority and freedom,” De La Espriella said, according to his inauguration remarks.
The new president also said negotiations with armed groups had run their course and pledged to intensify operations against criminal organizations. He has advocated the use of aerial herbicides to eradicate coca crops, a policy associated with previous Colombian anti-drug campaigns.
The security announcement marks a shift in relations after years of tension between Washington and the government of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, whose administration pursued negotiations with armed groups and at times clashed publicly with U.S. policy on counternarcotics.
De La Espriella, a right-wing political newcomer, received an endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump during the Colombian election campaign. His government has signaled a desire for closer cooperation with Washington on security, drug trafficking and other regional issues.
The proposed assistance also comes as the Trump administration has sought to strengthen security partnerships in the Western Hemisphere, including through its Shield of the Americas initiative. De La Espriella said Colombia would join the U.S.-backed program.
The State Department’s announcement did not say when the $1 billion would be delivered. Congressional involvement will be required as the administration develops the package, leaving its final scope and timing to be determined.
The United States and Colombia have maintained longstanding security cooperation, particularly in counternarcotics and efforts against armed groups. The planned package is the latest indication that Washington intends to deepen that cooperation under Colombia’s new government.
