Monday, January 27, 2025 - US President Donald Trump on Sunday, January 26, announced retaliatory tariffs on Colombia after the country’s president said he blocked US military deportation flights, the first instance of Trump using economic pressure to force other nations to fall in line with his mass deportation plans since he took office last week.
Earlier on Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro
announced he had blocked two US military flights carrying migrants heading
toward the country and called on the United States to establish better
protocols in its treatment of migrants. Petro also left the door open to
receiving repatriated migrants traveling on civilian planes.
Following Petro’s announcement, Trump criticized him on
social media while announcing new sanctions and policies targeting Colombia,
including a 25% tariff on all imports from the country, a “travel ban” for
Colombian citizens, and a revocation of visas for Colombian officials in the US
along with “all allies and supporters.”
Trump also ordered stricter inspections of cargo shipments
arriving from Colombia, along with banking and finance sanctions and visa
sanctions on “all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the
Colombian Government.”
“These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Trump administration was caught by surprise at the
military flights being rejected as they were bound for Colombia, according to
an administration official.
Colombian authorities approved the two flights before they
took off, according to documents reviewed by CNN, but those plans were suddenly
scrapped, frustrating Trump officials.
Trump’s reaction to Colombia’s rejection of repatriated
citizens marks the first major clash with another country over immigration
issues since he began his second term.
Later Sunday, Petro called on US citizens living in Colombia
illegally to “regularize” their stay, without offering specifics.
“American citizens who wish
to do so can be in Colombia, I believe in human freedom,” he wrote on X,
“You will never see me
burning a US flag or carrying out a raid to return handcuffed illegal
immigrants to the US.”
Petro also offered his presidential plane to help repatriate
deportees from the US who were set to arrive in the country Sunday morning.
The US began using military aircraft to return recent border
crossers back to their countries of origin last week. On Thursday, the US
returned migrants to Guatemala using military planes.
The US is also asking Mexico with help repatriating its
nationals via land ports of entry along the US-Mexico border.
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