Rubio approved memo to detain Colombian activist for criticizing presidential candidate, NYT reports

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved a memo to detain Colombian activist Franklin Humberto Coral Garrido, known as Beto Coral, for criticizing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella. The New York Times obtained the document, which states Coral "employed his stay in the United States to carry out political activities in support of the Government of (Gustavo) Petro." Rubio's assessment deemed that "allowing" Coral to remain in the U.S. "undermines the foreign policy interests" of the country.

Coral was detained last Tuesday for remaining in the U.S. with an expired visa, despite having an asylum application in process after fleeing Colombia due to threats from drug trafficking. The activist, who has lived in the U.S. since 2015, was arrested in Arizona. In an audio shared by Colombian lawmakers, Coral claimed the arresting officers said the detention order came "supposedly" from the Secretary of State.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro demanded that his U.S. counterpart clarify Coral's location, noting the activist is the son of a Colombian police officer killed in an operation against Pablo Escobar. Petro has instructed the foreign ministry to intervene with Washington to secure the activist's release. The detention occurred days after Coral participated in a protest in Miami against De la Espriella, an far-right candidate facing left-wing contender Iván Cepeda in Colombia's presidential election.