US Keeps Colombia Decertified Despite Recognizing De la Espriella
The United States decided today to maintain Colombia’s decertification in the fight against drugs, a measure adopted by the Donald Trump administration last year that reflects Washington’s concern over the growth of coca cultivation and cocaine production.
The decision — which was supposed to be communicated yesterday, Wednesday, September 15 — comes just over a month after Abelardo de la Espriella came to power, having proposed a change in direction from the anti-drug policy of his predecessor, Gustavo Petro.
The State Department acknowledged those commitments but determined that they are still not enough to change the U.S. assessment. Colombia remains among the countries that Washington considers to have “demonstrably failed” over the past 12 months to meet their international counternarcotics obligations.
The measure, however, does not imply an automatic cutoff of U.S. assistance—something that also did not happen last year—as Trump determined that maintaining it is “vital to the national interests” of the United States.
US keeps Colombia decertified despite recognizing De la Espriella
In its explanation regarding Colombia, the U.S. government highlighted De la Espriella’s promises to intensify the fight against drug trafficking and reduce cocaine production, including the eventual use of aerial glyphosate spraying, something that currently faces significant restrictions for environmental reasons.
“He has committed to leading an aggressive campaign against coca cultivation and cocaine production, which reached record levels under the failed socialist policies of his predecessor,” the United States said.
The reference marks a difference from the assessment made during the final year of the Petro administration. In September 2025, Trump determined for the first time in nearly three decades that Colombia had “demonstrably failed” to meet its international counternarcotics commitments.
The U.S. government attributed the decision, among other factors, to the increase in coca cultivation — exponential according to independent international data — and cocaine production, despite the Gustavo Petro government’s arguments regarding increased seizures.
The new Colombian administration, therefore, receives Washington’s recognition for its willingness to change that strategy, but it will have to demonstrate concrete results before the United States formally changes its position.
The increase in coca keeps up the pressure
The main reason behind the continuation of the measure is the behavior of drug production in Colombia. Washington maintains that the record levels recorded in recent years represent a failure to meet the country’s commitments regarding eradication, interdiction, and the fight against organizations involved in drug trafficking.
U.S. law establishes that countries included in this category may be subject to restrictions on certain types of assistance. However, the same legislation allows the U.S. president to waive those restrictions when determining that continuing the aid is in the national interest of the United States.
In the case of Colombia, Trump used precisely that exception. The presidential document maintains the conclusion that Colombia did not sufficiently meet its commitments, while establishing at the same time that U.S. assistance to the country is “vital to the national interests” of Washington. That decision allows bilateral cooperation on security and the fight against drugs to remain open.
De la Espriella will have a year to demonstrate results
The decision also leaves a door open for the new Colombian government. Washington is considering the possibility of reviewing its position if the De la Espriella administration demonstrates verifiable progress over the next year.
The focus will be particularly on reducing coca cultivation, eradication, and operations against drug-trafficking organizations. For the United States, the new government’s political statements and commitments will have to translate into measurable results.
The continuation of the decertification thus places the counternarcotics relationship between Bogota and Washington in a period of evaluation. The new Colombian government has U.S. recognition that it has announced a change in strategy, but the assessment will not change solely because of that political shift.
Cooperation, for now, continues. The United States is maintaining its assistance because it considers it strategic to its own interests, while keeping pressure on Colombia to reduce cocaine production and strengthen operations against drug-trafficking networks.
The coming year will be key in determining whether the results of the new policy allow Washington to change its assessment, once Abelardo de la Espriella’s first year in government has passed. Even before taking office, De la Espriella had already shown his interest in restoring the longstanding cooperation with Washington in the fight against drugs.