US has pledged $1 billion to Colombia, and it’s hours after their new right-wing populist president was sworn in

The United States has officially pledged $1 billion to Colombia, a massive financial commitment that arrived just hours after the country’s new right-wing populist president was sworn into office, the BBC reported. This security package is designed to help the new administration reach shared goals regarding the fight against organized crime and illegal immigration.

President Abelardo de la Espriella, a lawyer and millionaire businessman, has wasted no time in establishing his hardline approach. During his maiden speech, which he delivered to troops at a military base rather than in the capital of Bogotá, he promised an “all-out war” on drug cartels. He has branded himself as a maverick outsider and adopted the nickname “the Tiger,” or “El Tigre.”

In his address, he declared that in “the age of the Tiger,” the state would be forceful and decisive against crime. He further stated, “There will not be a single place in our territory where criminals can feel safe.” He has vowed to defend democracy “by reason or by force.”

Espriella signals a significant departure from the strategies of his predecessor Gustavo Petro

Petro had previously pushed for a total peace strategy that relied on negotiations with guerrilla groups and incentives for farmers to move away from coca production. Critics argued that this approach failed, noting that armed groups expanded their reach while a brutal conflict along the Colombia-Venezuela border displaced thousands of people. In contrast, de la Espriella is leaning heavily into a security-first model, drawing comparisons to the crackdowns seen in El Salvador and Ecuador.

President Donald Trump has already expressed strong support for the new leader, having stated before the election that de la Espriella had the “total support and strength of the United States behind him.” As one of his first official acts, the new president announced that Colombia would join the Shield of the Americas security partnership founded by Trump. This move has been welcomed by the US State Department, which noted that the new pro-growth agenda provides a prime opportunity to increase trade and deepen economic ties.

De la Espriella’s rise to power is part of a broader regional trend that has left fewer political allies for Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The new president is a US citizen who spent many years living and working in Miami, and his administration is expected to maintain a robust military alliance with both the United States and Israel. This is a sharp reversal from the previous government, which had cut ties with the Israeli government and was a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause.

The inauguration ceremony itself featured high-profile guests, including US Attorney General Todd Blanche and FIFA president Gianni Infantino. De la Espriella’s path to the presidency was marked by a tense campaign, during which he regularly appeared at rallies behind bulletproof glass while wearing a bulletproof vest. Now that he is in office, he intends to use an “iron fist” to combat the very types of criminals he once represented as a defense lawyer.