President Abelardo de la Espriella Announces Police Access to Public Universities Amid National Address

President Abelardo de la Espriella announced a national protocol allowing the police to enter public university campuses to address violence, flagrancy, and threats to public order. During a televised address on September 13, the president stated that university autonomy is not a patent of impunidad and declared that he would enter campuses to ensure individuals face justice. This announcement followed recent protests at the Universidad Nacional.

Reactions to the policy have been sharply divided. Supporters, including Representative Carol Borda and former presidential candidate Vicky Dávila, argued that the measure is necessary to remove criminals and prevent universities from being used as refuges for illegal activity. Conversely, critics such as Representative Isabel Vera and the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional warned that militarization of campuses could lead to human rights violations, citing a history of state violence against university communities. Guillermo Murillo, rector of the Universidad del Valle, disputed claims that explosives are prepared in university laboratories and argued that violence typically occurs outside campus boundaries.

In the same address, President de la Espriella discussed other government priorities. He defended the 2027 national budget of 635.9 trillion pesos, which he described as an exercise in sinceramiento. He also blamed former president Gustavo Petro for a fiscal crisis characterized by irresponsible debt and public spending. Additionally, the president expressed frustration with recent judicial rulings that limited military bombardments near minors and suspended a pilot program for aerial fumigation of illicit crops in Putumayo.