McGovern, Castro lead 5 Members of Congress in asking new Colombian President to support broad range of shared priorities including human rights

Letter seeks continued cooperation on peace, trade and investment, education, migration, labor and human rights, and the rights and inclusion of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities

Washington, August 13, 2026

WASHINGTON—Today, Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, along with Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Westen Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and five other House Members sent a letter to new Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella supporting continued partnership between the United States and Colombia on a broad range of shared priorities.

“The United States and Colombia have worked in close partnership on a broad range of shared priorities, including security, counternarcotics cooperation, peace, trade and investment, education, migration, the promotion of labor and human rights, and the rights and inclusion of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities,” wrote Representatives McGovern and the other Members of Congress. “This partnership has transcended partisan divides, regardless of who leads our nations.”

Abelardo Gabriel De La Espriella was sworn in as President of Colombia on August 7, 2026, after narrowly winning the runoff election on June 21.
 
In the letter, the Members of Congress say, ”we stand ready to work with your administration to address these challenges and advance our shared interests,” and make the following points: 

  • “Colombia's complex and longstanding security challenges require … sustained collaboration with civil society, a stronger civilian state presence, and viable economic alternatives that allow communities to turn away from illicit activities;”

  • “[S]ignificant inequalities in access to education, employment, and economic opportunity remain, particularly for Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities and for those from rural and disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds” that must be addressed; and

  • “The 2016 peace accord, which the U.S. Congress supported on a bipartisan basis, remains a cornerstone for addressing the structural challenges facing your nation. Its transitional justice system, lauded by experts worldwide, remains the most sophisticated model available for advancing truth, justice, and accountability for the many crimes committed by parties to the conflict.”

The five other members who signed the letter include Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Dina Titus (D-NV).

The full text of the letter is available here.