Colombia’s left-wing government is already walking back its refusal to accept deportation flights from the United States after President Trump threatened to impose severe economic and diplomatic penalties.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced Sunday that the South American nation would not be accepting deportation flights carrying Colombian nationals who entered the United States illegally. The Colombian leader stated that “the United States can’t treat Colombian migrants like criminals.”
In an X post, Petro declared that he will “disallow the entry of US planes carrying Colombian migrants into our territory,” adding that the U.S. “should establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them.”
In response, President Trump announced that the United States would be imposing emergency 25 percent tariffs on all Colombian goods entering the United States, adding that this would increase to 50 percent if the situation was not rectified within a week. Trump also announced that visas would be suspended for Colombian government officials and their allies, while the U.S. visa counter at the U.S. embassy in Bogota would be closing.
Colombia shipped roughly $14 billion worth of goods to the United States last year, the most common experts being minerals, fuel and coffee.
Within an hour, the Colombian government appeared to have taken President Trump’s threats seriously, as Petro walked back his initial comments. “The Government of Colombia confirms its participation in the Extraordinary Assembly of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), scheduled for January 30. This meeting will be an opportunity to address strategic issues for the region, such as cooperation on migration, the protection of human rights, and the strengthening of relations among member countries,” Petro said in an official statement.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro
The Colombian government further pledged to meet with Central American neighbors, including Honduras, to fine tune their approach to immigration and curbing illegal immigration to the United States.
“Simultaneously, the Government of Colombia, under the direction of President Gustavo Petro, has provided the presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of nationals who were due to arrive in the country in the morning, coming from deportation flights,” the statement continued, reversing Petro’s previous statement less than an hour after Trump’s retaliatory measures. “This measure reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring dignified conditions. Under no circumstances have Colombians, as patriots and rights holders, been or will be expelled from Colombian territory.”
Additionally, the Colombian president announced that he would be establishing a “Unified Command Post” on immigration which aims to “establish and review protocols to ensure the dignified treatment of deported Colombians, ensuring that procedures respect human rights and the integrity of each individual.”
President Trump has yet to issue a formal response to Petro’s reversal, though he did post a meme of himself wearing a fedora alongside the words “FAFO,” which is short for “f**k around and find out.”
The Trump Administration began using military aircraft to return recent border crossers back to their countries of origin last week. On Thursday, the U.S. returned criminal illegal aliens to Guatemala using military planes.
The U.S. is also asking Mexico to assist with repatriation flights, though the country appears to have diverted a military deportation flight last week. President Trump has long promised to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexican goods if they do not work to stop the flow of illegal aliens to the United States.
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