[1][2] In 1999, the Colombian government recognized the Romani people as one of Colombia’s ethnic minorities, so they can access educational, health and legal convenience.
In 1582, Spanish authorities passed a command outlawing the arrival of the Gypsies to the American colonies.
The new law banned the importation of slavery to the region, and demanded that any slaves from other countries who arrived would immediately be permitted to their freedom.
As a result of the law, many Romani escaped European slavery by heading to Colombia, and the migration waves from Europe to the Americas had later continued throughout the 20th century and up to the present day.
[5] The Roma arrived in Colombia after independence, taking advantage of the loosening restrictions that had kept them out of Spanish America during the colonial era.