The decades-long internal armed conflict in Colombia has created a mass migration of Colombian nationals from all levels of Colombian society to flee to the United States in search of political asylum and a chance to start new lives. Many asylum seekers have been subjected to unspeakable abuse and persecution by illegal armed groups and political movements that employ violence to assert power over citizens. The government has been largely unable to protect many people caught up in political turmoil, in part due institutional corruption and the effects of Colombia being a weak state in terms of its government institutions and inability to protect the constitutional and human rights of all Colombian citizens. While many asylum seekers have legitimate claims for asylum in the United States, at the same time, some Colombians seek to misuse asylum protections as a way to gain entry into the United States. The author suggests that a “formula” circulates throughout the Colombian immigrant community for unscrupulous individuals to follow to make claims for asylum for which they are not entitled. This article examines real claims for asylum and how some Colombians rely on the naiveté of American lawyers and judges to juice the system and gain asylum under false and manufactured pretenses. The article weaves a cautionary tale for what immigration lawyers should know about what is really happening in Colombia and what warning signs they should look for in determining the veracity of Colombian asylum claims.

Environmental devastation of man-made origin threaten some of the most sensitive regions of Colombia, where the biodiversity found there is among the most unique in the world. Deforestation due to the cultivation and processing of coca and opium, the collateral damage to the environment from drug interdiction and eradication programs, and the slash and burn agriculture practiced by farmers involved in drug production and displaced indigenous groups forced out of their homelands by drug traffickers have had a drastic impact on Colombia’s precious national resources. The spillover effect of drug trafficking has also impacted sensitive environments in neighboring states, as well. For too long, the illegal armed groups and narcotraffickers causing the environmental devastation have gone without being held accountable for their damaging practices, and the inability of the Colombian government to confront drug-related environmental damage has resulted in increased stress on Colombia biodiversity and indigenous territories. This article examines the impact of drug cultivation and processing on the Colombian environment, the laws and enforcement capacity of the nation to fight it, and looks at how the nation and the international community can curtail the loss of more of Colombia’s natural treasures.