When discrimination determines who can travel

 plane’s doors had closed did airline staff inform them that they could not board until they received a purported authorization email from the “Colombian Border Police.” This additional requirement did not originate from the Colombian immigration authorities and left seven people without answers for hours at an airport far from their homes.

Thanks to the patience of the seven Syrian travelers, the support of the Ombudsman’s Office and the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the persistence of the Dejusticia organizing team—as part of a project funded by a partner philanthropic foundation—after nearly 24 hours of phone calls, emails, and negotiations with various Colombian authorities and the airline, the delegation was finally able to board a later flight to Colombia. This happened not without first having to pay a penalty, even though the entire situation was the result of the airline’s initial decision to prevent boarding based on a single criterion: the passengers’ nationality. 

In our work, especially in my role as logistics coordinator responsible for Dejusticia’s travel processes, we frequently encounter all sorts of difficulties that impede the free movement of people, particularly those from the Global South. Excessive delays in visa issuance procedures and even decisions that seem arbitrary because they lack a clear legal basis. But now, we also have to face acts of discrimination by airlines that, in this case, acted as the new immigration authorities.

This episode invites a reflection that we know is both ongoing and urgent: to what extent are border controls permeated by prejudice? It is no longer enough to meet the requirements demanded by a country’s immigration authorities; and, in any case, it is often those very requirements that impose barriers to people’s mobility. Added to this is the uncertainty that any other reason could give rise to new barriers and unequal treatment. When controls become venues for arbitrariness, a silent form of discrimination is perpetuated that limits cultural, academic, and human exchange between societies.

At immigration checkpoints, barriers may arise that are not written into any law, but which are forcefully imposed through arbitrary decisions, unfounded suspicions, or deeply rooted prejudices. In the 21st century, we continue to witness how discrimination shapes people’s mobility. Physical appearance, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, or skin color drive this discrimination, which takes the form of excessive controls without clear justification. While some passengers pass through without major questions, others must prove time and again that they pose no risk to anyone and that they deserve to cross. This double standard not only delays travel plans; it also undermines the dignity of those subjected to constant and disproportionate scrutiny.

To speak of human mobility is to speak of rights. And those rights cannot be subject to prejudice, racial profiling, or arbitrary decisions made at a boarding counter. We must continue to demand that states respect migration rights, but we must also challenge the power of private actors who, without legal authority, impose barriers that perpetuate exclusion. Because when a person is discriminated against based on their nationality to prevent them from traveling, it not only infringes upon their right to travel: it undermines the very principle of equality.