MIAMI — Beto Coral secured voluntary departure from the United States in mid-July after more than 10 years living in the country. The activist and YouTuber left following a 30-day detention by the Department of Homeland Security that began in June 2025.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a memo to the Department of Homeland Security on 16 June alleging that Coral used his presence in the US to conduct political activity against a Colombian presidential candidate. The memo stated that the department could take steps to facilitate Coral's departure from the US.

Coral was arrested on the afternoon of 16 June while returning from a supermarket with his 12-year-old son. He was detained by the Department of Homeland Security for 30 days and transferred six times between detention facilities across four states during his confinement.

The detention followed actions Coral took in the week before Colombia’s presidential election. He traveled to Florida to urge Colombians not to vote for Abelardo de la Espriella. Coral held banners outside polling stations in Miami warning that de la Espriella would "help deport all of you".

De la Espriella won the Colombian presidential election in June. Earlier this month, he was sworn in as president of Colombia to replace Gustavo Petro. De la Espriella is the founder and leader of the far-right Defenders of the Homeland party, which was established initially as a movement in 2024.

Tensions escalated in early June when US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on social media that individuals tempted to undermine or manipulate the democratic process in Colombia were putting their visas at risk. De la Espriella replied to the post with the statement: "I have the list, dear deputy secretary." On 16 June, de la Espriella posted on X: "There will be good news for Colombia and for patriotic Colombians abroad," alongside an AI-generated image.

Nine Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to Rubio on 23 June demanding Coral’s immediate release. The letter argued that the US government had violated Coral's human rights, including his right to free speech.

Coral's lawyer, Elizabeth Shaw, secured an agreement allowing him to leave the country voluntarily. Shaw argued in her filing that Coral had been detained despite facing no immigration charges. A DHS spokesperson described Coral as "an illegal alien" who "in violation of our nation’s laws, overstayed his visa for 10 years".

Coral entered the United States on a tourist visa in December 2015. He applied for political asylum in March 2016, citing death threats received in Colombia after investigating the death of his father. His father, Humberto Coral Caballero, was a police captain who participated in the operation that led to the death of Pablo Escobar in 1993 and was murdered months later.

In May, Coral filed a complaint with the FBI alleging that de la Espriella secretly recorded a telephone conversation and attempted to blackmail him. Franklin Humberto Coral Garrido, known as Beto Coral, is a 40-year-old activist and YouTuber.