The Colombian journalist and activist Franklin Humberto Coral Garrido, known as 'Beto' Coral, arrived in Colombia on Thursday night after being deported from the United States, a country where he remained in the custody of immigration authorities for approximately one month.
His return has been confirmed by Coral himself in a video disseminated on social networks by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. In the recording, after stating that he has "renounced any possibility of political asylum in the United States," he acknowledges that he fears "any reprisal" that his family may suffer due to his statements.
"I cannot refer to the details of my detention, since at this moment all I want is to urgently get my family out of that country. I fear any reprisal that the words I may utter here in Colombia might have over there in the United States, but we will clearly say it," the activist stated.
Coral was arrested in early June, after, according to his account in a statement, he filed a criminal complaint in Florida against the then far-right presidential candidate for Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, "for illegal recording of a call."
At that time, the activist denounced that "I was detained by the United States Government without being clearly explained the reasons for my detention" and defended his innocence in a letter addressed to the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
His statements became known after his deportation and after it was revealed, based on information from 'The New York Times', that Rubio himself had signed the expulsion order following the complaint against De la Espriella, a figure close to the US administration.
Coral's Message and Call to the Next President
The activist has assured that he will maintain his fight and has called to "continue fighting" in a "peaceful" manner against "tyrannies" and the "imprisonment of ideas." At the same time, he has directed a message to the next president of Colombia, the recently elected Abelardo de la Espriella, so that, "beyond any differences," he "understands the problem of Colombian immigration."
Along these lines, Coral has warned that there are Colombian citizens who "are detained in the worst conditions and who have been detained for more than a year without due process, trying to fight for an immigration case."
The still president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has celebrated that Coral has arrived in the country "without chains" and has underlined the relevance that "every president who leads the country" must be clear that "in international politics, the Colombian community comes first, or their papers in each country matter."
"May decent Colombian women and men not arrive in chains to Colombia," Petro remarked in a message disseminated on social media.
Almost 17,000 Colombians returned with guarantees
Among the authorities who came to receive Coral was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, who assured that the activist's family "will also leave" the North American country "shortly."
"It is a case that we will continue to monitor and follow up on, as there are still many Colombian men and women in these detention sites, where Human Rights are totally in question," the minister pointed out.
Villavicencio highlighted that, during Gustavo Petro's term, "more than 16,988 people" have returned to the country in a "dignified" manner, with the possibility of "being attended to" and having "channels to connect with institutions that can guide their reintegration into the workforce and their documentation again."
"Many arrive without documentation, without any belongings, and it is the responsibility of the return policy deployed by the Government of change to support these people so that they can start again and be accompanied by institutions," the head of Foreign Affairs concluded.