Colombian activist Beto Coral says he was forced out of the United States after campaigning in Miami against Trump-aligned candidate

Beto Coral, a Colombian activist who lives in the United States, was forced out of the country after he held warning banners outside polling locations in Miami in the final week before Colombia’s presidential election, according to a report by The Guardian on August 19, 2026. Coral had traveled to Florida to persuade fellow Colombians not to vote for Abelardo de la Espriella, described in the report as a far-right candidate aligned with President Trump.

The report said Coral’s public campaign involved carrying banners at or near polling stations in Miami to urge Colombians to reject the candidate. The warnings were directed at members of the Colombian community in the United States during a period when ballots were being cast for Colombia’s election at polling sites abroad.

Coral’s activity, as described by The Guardian, centered on the weeks immediately preceding the vote in Colombia, when he repeatedly indicated to voters that they should not support de la Espriella. The Guardian characterized the effort as part of Coral’s broader activism and said he had framed the message around the candidate’s political alignment.

The Guardian reported that Coral was compelled to leave the United States after the Florida demonstrations. The piece did not, in its summary, detail the specific government action used to remove him, the legal basis for the measure, or whether the matter was handled through a court process, administrative immigration procedure, or another enforcement track.

The report places Coral’s removal in the context of a politically charged election, where campaign communications abroad can draw scrutiny over where and how political messages are delivered. By holding banners outside polling locations, Coral’s actions also touched on a recurring issue in election administration and foreign-community voting: what forms of political persuasion are permitted near official voting sites and what authorities consider eligible for enforcement.

While the Guardian’s account describes the enforcement outcome, it does not provide additional confirmed information on Coral’s next steps, his current location, or what conditions, if any, apply to his return to the United States. The practical effect, per the report, is that Coral’s ability to continue campaigning with the same physical presence in Florida ended shortly after his election-period activity.

The episode also highlights the sensitivity of overseas election messaging and the speed at which enforcement actions can change the public landscape for community political participation. With Coral removed from the U.S., Colombian voters in Florida lose a prominent activist voice that had targeted the final days of balloting with the message to reject de la Espriella.