After Colombia’s government refused to accept two planes carrying deportees from the United States, the US government is now taking retaliatory measures…
Two flights carrying Colombian deportees from the United States were scheduled to arrive in Colombia this Sunday, the first at 6:45 a.m. and the second at 10:00 a.m.
However, Petro barred the entry of US planes carrying Colombian migrants on board, arguing that the US government “cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals.”
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, ordered the suspension of visa processing in Colombia starting this Monday, January 27, in response to the refusal by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to accept two flights carrying undocumented Colombian migrants deported in recent hours.
US President Donald Trump ordered a 25% tariff on all Colombian products this Sunday after his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, refused to accept two flights carrying Colombian nationals deported from the US.
Trump also announced visa restrictions for Petro’s government and his party, possible economic sanctions against the country, and “inspections” of Colombian citizens and goods arriving in the US. He warned that, “in one week,” the newly imposed 25% tariffs “will rise to 50%.”
The Trump administration sent two flights, each carrying 80 undocumented Colombian migrants previously detained in the US. The deportation had been previously announced and approved by high-ranking officials from both countries. More measures are expected to be announced in the coming hours by the State Department.
President Petro quickly responded to the US announcement, stating that “there are 15,660 Americans living irregularly in Colombia” who must “approach our immigration service to regularize their status.”
“Petro’s refusal of these flights has endangered US national and public security (…) In one week, the 25% tariffs will rise to 50%,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network, where he also announced other “urgent and decisive retaliatory measures” against Colombia.
The new Trump administration indicated on Friday that they had “begun” deporting undocumented migrants to their countries of origin, but Petro rejected the transfer of these individuals to Colombia, arguing they were not receiving “dignified” treatment.
According to the US president’s own words in his latest post, among those intended for deportation to Colombia were “a large number of criminals.”
Citing “national security” concerns, he stated that customs inspections and border protection would be strengthened against “Colombian shipments (of products)” and citizens arriving from that country.
Trump also referred to Petro as “the socialist president of Colombia,” who “is already very unpopular among his people.”
Sanctions Against Petro’s Government in Colombia and Retaliation Against His Circle
The remaining orders issued by the US president this Sunday against the Colombian government include a “travel ban and immediate visa revocation for Colombian government officials and all allies and supporters.”
Additionally, visa sanctions were imposed on all members of the Colombia Humana party, as well as their family members and sympathizers.
However, Trump did not mention a potential closure of the visa section at the US Embassy in Colombia, which had been reported by some local Colombian media this Sunday.
“These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian government to violate its legal obligations regarding the acceptance and return of criminals who forced their way into the United States!” concluded the US president’s post.
For his part, Petro had asserted this Sunday that he would not allow planes carrying citizens deported by the United States to enter the country unless they were treated with dignity.
“The US cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I am barring the entry of US planes carrying Colombian migrants into our territory. The US must establish a protocol for dignified treatment of migrants before we accept them,” Petro stated on his X account.
Petro had recently questioned some of Trump’s decisions or policies, and last Tuesday called the US president’s comment about Latin America “dangerous,” after Trump said of the region: “We don’t need them.”
The tensions between the United States and Colombia, with whom the deportation flights had been agreed upon, also extend to other Latin American countries, which have disapproved of the procedures of what Trump claims will be “the largest mass expulsion of foreigners in US history.”
Image: Semana.com
