Bogota, Colombia – Colombian Congresswoman Angela Vergara yesterday called on the Colombian government to repatriate its citizens detained in the United States after her son was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Vergara, a pro-Donald Trump conservative, announced Friday that his 22-year-old son, Rafael Alonso Vergara, had been detained by U.S. immigration authorities for more than two weeks.
Vergara sent a letter to Colombian President Gustavo Petro demanding action to support Colombians detained by ICE, and was criticized by opponents for her party’s support of Trump.
“Today we call on the government to provide a clear and urgent response to the request of 30 lawmakers from each party to address the serious humanitarian crisis facing hundreds of Colombians deprived of their liberty in the United States,” Vergara wrote on his X account Wednesday.
She attached an image of a letter she sent to Foreign Minister Petro and Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio and the commander of the Colombian Air Force. The memo called for the Air Force to coordinate a “humanitarian flight” to repatriate detained citizens.
Last Friday, Vergara said her son had been in ICE custody for 18 days after being detained during a traffic stop in Louisiana.
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She said her son entered the U.S. legally in 2022 and “is not undocumented.”
But Vergara’s accusations were met with criticism and ridicule from large sectors of the Colombian population that highlighted her ties to Trumpism.
Conservatives celebrated Trump’s election in 2024 after a campaign in which he promised mass deportations.
Vergara is also considered to be closely aligned with the MAGA wing of American politics. She is a member of an anti-abortion group in the Colombian National Assembly and publicly mourned the death of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk last September.
But Vergara has also been falsely accused of leading a movement called “Latinos for Trump” and calling for U.S. intervention in Colombia. Petro shared a video showing a woman wearing ‘Make America Great Again’ clothes, which he misidentified as Vergara.
Rep. Lee defended himself against allegations that he changed his position after his son’s detention, saying, “Denouncing injustice is not hypocrisy, but consistency and dignity. Insults cannot replace facts.”
Featured image caption: Colombian lawmaker Angela Vergara.
Featured image credit: @AMVergaraG via X.
