Barranquilla Accords: What Colombia and the US Just Signed

The Barranquilla Accords — or Acuerdos de Barranquilla, as Colombian press call them — are the name President Abelardo de la Espriella gave to a new roadmap for the Colombia-US relationship, announced after he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Barranquilla on September 8, 2026. De la Espriella framed the roadmap around three axes: reconstructing the nation after August’s earthquake, recovering the economy, and securing the hemisphere, per El Colombiano. Under that umbrella, the two governments signed two memorandums of understanding and opened talks on security, migration, trade, and tariffs — an agenda that will eventually shape everything from travel advisories to embassy services for Americans living in Medellín. It was the first high-level US visit since De la Espriella’s August 7 inauguration, and Colombian officials are already calling it a reset of the bilateral relationship, per Infobae and El Espectador.

Quick answer: The Barranquilla Accords are De la Espriella’s roadmap for reconstruction, economic recovery, and hemispheric security, anchored by a September 8 meeting where the two governments signed non-binding memorandums on critical minerals/rare earths and civil nuclear cooperation, and discussed counternarcotics, migration data-sharing, Venezuela border security, trade, and the Escudo de las Américas security coalition’s Colombian operations center in Medellín. Rubio also said the US and Colombia are actively negotiating over the 12.5% tariff and expects “good news” soon, and that Washington has not ruled out a future US or joint military base in Colombia, though no decision has been made and any base would require a formal invitation from Bogotá. None of this changes visa rules, tariffs, or the current Colombia travel advisory today — but it sets the tone for policy decisions still to come.

Barranquilla was one stop on a three-country tour: Rubio went on to Ecuador and Peru the same week to shore up trade and security ties with the region’s other Trump-aligned governments, part of what Washington calls the “Escudo de las Américas” security alliance, per Al Jazeera. That context matters for how much weight to put on the Colombia signing — it’s regional strategy as much as a bilateral one-off.

The three pillars of the Barranquilla Accords between Colombia and the United States

De la Espriella announced the Accords as a named roadmap, not just a list of talking points from one meeting, structured around three axes, per El Colombiano:

• Reconstruction of the nation — using US capital and cooperation as a lever to rebuild areas hit by the magnitude-7.4 earthquake that struck Colombia on August 10, 2026, epicentered in San José del Palmar, Chocó, per the US Geological Survey.
• Economic recovery — attracting US investment in infrastructure, energy, and housing, alongside continued counternarcotics cooperation.
• Hemispheric security — anchored by De la Espriella’s proposed “Plan Patriota Siglo XXI,” a bid to modernize Colombia’s aircraft, drones, radar, and intelligence capabilities with US backing, per Semana.

The two signed memorandums and the security, migration, and trade talks described below all sit under this three-axis framing.

What the Barranquilla Accords actually commit to

Rubio and Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar signed two documents, with De la Espriella present as honorary witness (testigo de honor), according to the US State Department and Cambio Colombia:

• Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation memorandum — covers technical exchange on peaceful civil energy.
• Critical Minerals Framework memorandum — targets rare earths, lithium, copper, and tungsten, minerals where China controls roughly 80% of world tungsten output and 90% of rare-earth refining as of September 2026, per El Tiempo.

Neither document is a binding treaty. Juliana Bustamante, an international lawyer and director of Vértice (Política Exterior, Derechos Humanos y Paz), told Publimetro — in comments translated from Spanish — that the memorandums are “a concrete procedural act” but “lack legal force”: declarations of intent, not enforceable commitments. Colombia’s specific text hasn’t been published, unlike the more detailed, $1-billion minerals framework the US signed with Australia in October 2025, per El Tiempo.

In practice: no exploitation rights were granted, no investment is guaranteed yet, and any real project still needs congressional and corporate follow-through on both sides. The memorandum does set a clock on that follow-through — both governments commit to “mobilize public and private sector support” to jointly identify and finance extraction and processing projects within six months of signing, per El Tiempo — but a funding target on paper is not funding in hand. Similar critical-minerals frameworks with Ecuador, Peru, and Paraguay had already been announced at a Washington ministerial in February 2026, per the US State Department — Colombia’s is a later addition to the same pattern, not a bespoke arrangement.

None of this is the first US money on the table for the new government, either: the Trump administration had already pledged a separate $1 billion security assistance package for Colombia around De la Espriella’s August 7 inauguration, pending US congressional approval, per CBS News. That pledge predates the Barranquilla meeting and is distinct from the critical-minerals financing discussed above.

Security, migration, and Venezuela were also on the table

Beyond the signings, De la Espriella said the two sides agreed to deepen migration cooperation through “information exchange, biometric tools, identification of wanted persons, fighting migrant trafficking networks and strengthening border controls,” per Metropolitano.

On counternarcotics, Rubio clarified that Colombia has not requested US troops for current operations; day-to-day cooperation is framed as intelligence-sharing, equipment, and specialized training, with Colombian forces leading operations, per El Heraldo. But that isn’t the whole security story: asked directly about a US military presence, Rubio said Washington has not ruled out a future US or joint military base in Colombia. He was clear no decision has been made and that any base would require a formal invitation from the Colombian government plus technical and financial review in Washington, per Infobae and Semana. Both officials also flagged Venezuela-based armed groups, including ELN camps, operating across the border as a shared security concern.

Trade and tariffs came up too. Economic talks focused on attracting US investment in Colombian infrastructure, energy, and housing, according to El Espectador. Rubio was also asked directly about the 12.5% US tariff on Colombian exports — in force since July 24, 2026 per ColombiaOne, and the target of De la Espriella’s request that Trump pause it after August’s earthquake. Rubio said “en eso estamos trabajando” (“we’re working on that”), noting two rounds of delegation-level talks had already taken place and that he expects “good news” soon — but he announced no decision or timeline, per Infobae.

Separately, the US has also delivered $26.5 million in earthquake humanitarian aid since the August 10 quake, with talks ongoing about multilateral reconstruction financing, per El Heraldo.

What this means if you live in Medellín

For Americans already in Medellín or planning a move, nothing here is an immediate rule change — but one thread from this meeting lands closer to home than the rest:

• Escudo de las Américas comes to Medellín: At the Barranquilla meeting, De la Espriella confirmed Colombia is now operating within “Escudo de las Américas” (“Shield of the Americas”), the US-backed regional anti-cartel security coalition Trump launched in 2026, per Semana. Medellín — not Bogotá — will host the coalition’s Colombian operations center, a decision De la Espriella first announced on July 21, 2026, citing the city’s role as a base for organized-crime networks with reach across the country, per El Colombiano and Infobae. It’s not a US base or US troops on the ground — it’s a Colombian-run coordination center under a US-backed regional security framework — but it makes Medellín the country’s operational seat for this cooperation, which is likely to mean a more visible security and intelligence footprint in the city over time.
• Visas and immigration: The memorandums don’t touch Colombia’s V/M/R visa categories or Migración Colombia’s fee schedule. Separate enforcement trends, like the deportation operations targeting irregular migrants that started in August, continue on their own track.
• Travel advisory: The US State Department’s advisory for Colombia remains Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” last reissued March 31, 2026, citing crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and natural disasters in specific departments. The embassy also issued a security alert for Cesar department on September 3, 2026, over ELN drone attacks — a reminder the underlying risk picture keeps shifting even as diplomatic ties warm. Neither has changed because of this visit.
• Tariffs and trade: The 12.5% US tariff on Colombian goods (flowers, apparel, chocolate), in effect since July 24, 2026, hasn’t moved yet — but Rubio confirmed talks are active and said he expects news “soon.” Nothing is decided as of publication.
• Consular services: Atlántico governor Eduardo Verano proposed reopening the US consulate in Barranquilla, an idea De la Espriella backed; Rubio said the idea “hay que estudiarlo” (“needs to be studied”), per El Heraldo. It’s a proposal under review, not a confirmed opening date. (Rubio also offered a warmer aside separately, saying Barranquilla reminds him of Miami.)

Frequently asked questions

What are the Barranquilla Accords between Colombia and the United States?

The Barranquilla Accords (Acuerdos de Barranquilla) are the roadmap President Abelardo de la Espriella announced after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Barranquilla on September 8, 2026, built around three axes: reconstructing the nation after August’s earthquake, recovering the economy, and securing the hemisphere. Under that framing, the two governments signed memorandums on critical minerals and civil nuclear cooperation and opened talks on security, migration, tariffs, trade, and Colombia’s role in the “Escudo de las Américas” security coalition, whose Colombian operations center will be based in Medellín. Rubio also said Washington has not ruled out a future US or joint military base in Colombia, though no decision has been made and any base would require a formal invitation from Bogotá.

Are the memorandums legally binding?

No. Legal experts describe them as declarations of intent that create a framework for future cooperation, not enforceable treaties — no exploitation rights or investment guarantees were granted.

Does this change visas, tariffs, or the Colombia travel advisory?

Not directly, and not yet. Colombia’s visa rules, the 12.5% US tariff, and the State Department’s Level 3 advisory are all unchanged as of this article’s publication. Rubio did say the US and Colombia are actively negotiating over the tariff and expects good news soon, but he announced no decision or timeline; any policy shifts stemming from these talks would come later and separately.

Will the US reopen its consulate in Barranquilla?

It’s under consideration. Atlántico governor Eduardo Verano proposed it, De la Espriella backed the idea, and Rubio said Washington would have to study it — no timeline or decision has been announced.

This article reflects public statements and reporting from the US Department of State, the US Embassy in Colombia, the US Geological Survey, Infobae, El Espectador, El Heraldo, El Tiempo, El Colombiano, Cambio Colombia, Publimetro, Metropolitano, Semana, Al Jazeera, CBS News, and ColombiaOne as of September 9, 2026. Details on the memorandums’ text, any tariff decision, the proposed consulate reopening, and any decision on a US or joint military base can change — confirm the latest before making travel or paperwork decisions.