World news | The Guardian
· collected 2026-08-19 · by Tiago Rogero South America correspondent
Activist Franklin Humberto Coral Garrido, who lived in the US for over 10 years, was arrested by US authorities after criticizing Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, a Trump-aligned politician. The activist was held in DHS detention for 30 days, during which he alleges he was assaulted and deprived of food and water, before being released back to Colombia voluntarily. Coral's case is seen as the first involving remarks about a foreign election, with the US Secretary of State allegedly facilitating his departure at the request of De la Espriella, who went on to win the election. Coral claims that De la Espriella knew he would be arrested and announced it publicly on social media, revealing a possible motive behind the arrest.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In the week before Colombia’s presidential election, Beto Coral, a well-known activist living in the United States, travelled to Florida to persuade fellow Colombians not to vote for the far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella.
asserted
Coral → know → candidate
Coral held banners outside polling stations in Miami warning that the millionaire lawyer, whose candidacy was endorsed by Donald Trump, would “help deport all of you”.
asserted
candidacy → hold → you
The following morning the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, issued a memo to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleging that the activist had used his presence in the country “to conduct political activity” against a Colombian presidential candidate, and that DHS could take steps to “facilitate his departure”.
uncertain
DHS → issue → departure
Hours later, Coral was arrested.
asserted
Coral → arrest → ?
He said that, over the following 30 days in DHS detention, he was assaulted, deprived of food and water, and held in solitary confinement before securing his voluntary departure back to Colombia in mid-July, after more than 10 years living in the US.
asserted
he → say → US
Although other immigrants have previously been detained in the US over their political activism – most notably the Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil for protesting against the war in Gaza – Coral’s case is being seen as the first involving remarks about a foreign election.
“They detained me simply because I protested against a Trump-backed candidate,” said the 40-year-old activist, whose full name is Franklin Humberto Coral Garrido.
asserted
name → detain → candidate
Coral, who has no criminal record, alleges that his detention resulted from a request by De la Espriella, who went on to win the election and was sworn in earlier this month to replace the leftwing president Gustavo Petro, with whom Trump had repeatedly clashed.
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Trump → have → whom
In early June the US deputy secretary of state, Christopher Landau, wrote on social media about Colombia’s election that those “tempted to undermine or manipulate the democratic process” were putting their visas at risk.
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those → write → risk
“That’s why they call me El Quitavisas (the visa taker)”, he added.
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he → ’ → me
De la Espriella replied: “I have the list, dear deputy secretary.”
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I → reply → list
On the morning of 16 June, the same day Rubio issued the memo, De la Espriella posted: “There will be good news for Colombia and for patriotic Colombians abroad,” alongside an AI-generated image of “El Quitavisas” projected into the sky.
asserted
Espriella → issue → sky
That afternoon, Coral was arrested.
asserted
Coral → arrest → ?
“De la Espriella knew that I was going to be arrested and announced it on X,” said Coral.
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Coral → know → X
The US state department and De la Espriella did not respond to requests for comment.
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department → respond → comment
Colombia’s new president already knew the activist from his years as a lawyer.
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president → know → lawyer
De la Espriella represented the former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez in a defamation lawsuit filed in Florida against Coral after the activist accused him of leading paramilitary groups.
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activist → represent → groups
Coral lost the case and was ordered to issue a public apology.
asserted
Coral → lose → apology
Last May, Coral filed a complaint with the FBI alleging that De la Espriella had secretly recorded a telephone conversation between them and attempted to blackmail him with it.
uncertain
Espriella → file → it
In his memo, Rubio cited the activist’s alleged “use of US courts to target a Colombian presidential candidate” as one of the political activities he claimed Coral had carried out “on behalf of the Petro government”.
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Coral → cite → government
Coral entered the US on a tourist visa in December 2015 and applied for political asylum in March 2016, saying he had received death threats in Colombia after investigating the death of his father, Humberto Coral Caballero.
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he → enter → father
A police captain who took part in the US-backed operation that brought down the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar in 1993, Caballero was murdered months later.
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Caballero → take → 1993
“I had been waiting for a decision on my asylum application since 2016, but I always had legal status and a work permit,” said Coral, who, besides his work as an activist and YouTuber, held “the kinds of jobs immigrants usually have in the US: I drove for Uber, worked in construction, was a cook, a waiter, a baker”.
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I → wait → construction
On the day of his arrest, he was returning from the supermarket with his 12-year-old son.
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he → return → son
He was later transferred six times between detention facilities across four states.
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He → transfer → states
“Those journeys were extremely long, and the agents wouldn’t give me water or food,” said Coral, who estimates that he spent “24 of the 30 days” in solitary confinement.
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he → give → confinement
“ICE officers shoved me, threw me against the wall and kicked me in the legs,” he added.
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he → shove → legs
A DHS spokesperson did not respond to questions about the mistreatment Coral said he suffered, instead sending a statement describing him as “an illegal alien” who “in violation of our nation’s laws, overstayed his visa for 10 years”.
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who → respond → years
Nine Democratic members of Congress sent Rubio a letter on 23 June demanding Coral’s immediate release, arguing that the US government had violated his human rights, including his right to free speech.
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government → send → speech
He was released only after his lawyer, Elizabeth Shaw, secured an agreement allowing him to leave the country voluntarily.
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him → release → country
In her filing, Shaw argued that Coral had been detained despite facing no immigration charges.
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Coral → argue → charges
She sought his release before De la Espriella’s inauguration, arguing that the incoming government posed “an open, real, and substantial threat” to his life.
asserted
government → seek → life
After briefly returning to Colombia – where he warned Petro that “he could be the next” to be arrested by the US – Coral has since left the country.
uncertain
Coral → return → country
He said he does not know where he will live next, but even though in theory he could still try to return to the US, as he was not deported, it will not be there – because it is “the worst place in the world for any immigrant”.
uncertain
it → say → immigrant
“I find it paradoxical that Rubio is a Latino, the son of immigrants who came from Cuba in search of a better future for him, and now he persecutes, mistreats, detains and deports an immigrant who entered the country legally,” he said.
asserted
he → find → country
