Colombia agrees to receive deported immigrants after tariff confrontation with Trump

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — The White House on Sunday claimed victory in a confrontation with Colombia over the acceptance of flights of migrants deported from the United States, hours after President Donald Trump threatened heavy tariffs on imports and other sanctions. to the old American partner.

The United States and Colombia, long close partners in counternarcotics efforts, clashed Sunday over the deportation of migrants and imposed tariffs on each other’s goods in a sign of what other countries could face if they intervene in the offensive. of the Trump administration against illegal immigration. The White House highlighted the episode as a warning to other nations that might try to thwart its plans.

Previously, the US president had ordered visa restrictions, 25% tariffs on all incoming Colombian goods, which would rise to 50% within a week, and other retaliatory measures sparked by Petro’s decision to reject two military aircraft. Americans bound for Colombia who were transporting immigrants.

Trump said the measures were necessary because Petro’s decision “put at risk” national security in the US.

“These measures are just the beginning,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “We will not allow the Colombian government to violate its legal obligations regarding the acceptance and return of criminals it forced into the United States.”

Later on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he was authorizing visa restrictions on Colombian government officials and their families “who were responsible for interference with US repatriation flight operations.” They were imposed in addition to the State Department’s measure to suspend visa processing at the United States Embassy in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

The restrictions will continue, Rubio said, “until Colombia meets its obligations to accept the return of its own citizens.”

Earlier in the day, Petro said his government would not accept flights carrying migrants deported from the United States until the Trump administration creates a protocol that treats them with “dignity.” Petro made the announcement in two X posts, one of which included a news video of migrants supposedly deported to Brazil walking on a track with restrictions on their hands and feet.

“A migrant is not a criminal and should be treated with the dignity that a human being deserves,” Petro said. “That is why I returned the US military planes that were transporting Colombian migrants… On civilian planes, without being treated like criminals, we will receive our fellow citizens.”

After Trump’s announcement, Petro said in a post on X that he had ordered the “Minister of Foreign Trade to increase US import tariffs by 25%.”

Colombia has traditionally been the main ally of the United States in Latin America. But their relationship has been strained since Petro, a former guerrilla, became Colombia’s first leftist president in 2022 and sought to distance himself from the United States.

Colombia accepted 475 deportation flights from the United States between 2020 and 2024, fifth behind Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador, according to Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks flight data. Accepted 124 deportation flights in 2024.

Colombia is also among the countries that last year began accepting deportation flights from Panama financed by the United States.

The U.S. government did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press about the planes and protocols used in the deportations to Colombia.

“This is a clear message we are sending that countries have an obligation to accept repatriation flights,” a senior administration official told the AP. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Rubio in a statement said Petro “canceled his authorization” for the flights when the planes were in the air.

Colombians have emerged in recent years as a major presence on the U.S. border with Mexico, helped in part by a visa regime that allows them to easily fly to Mexico and avoid walking through the treacherous Darien Gap. They ranked fourth with 127,604 arrests for illegal crossings during a 12-month period through September, behind Mexicans, Guatemalans and Venezuelans.

Mexico has not imposed visa restrictions on Colombians, as it has with Venezuelans, Ecuadorians and Peruvians.

The Petro government later announced in a statement that the South American country’s presidential plane had been made available to facilitate the return of migrants who were due to arrive hours earlier on US military planes and guarantee them “dignified conditions.”

As part of a series of actions to fulfill Trump’s campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration, his administration is using active-duty military to help secure the border and carry out deportations.

Two U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo planes carrying immigrants expelled from the United States landed early Friday in Guatemala. That same day, Honduras received two deportation flights carrying a total of 193 people.

Announcing what he called “urgent and decisive retaliatory measures,” Trump explained that he ordered tariffs and “a travel ban and immediate visa revocations” on officials, allies and supporters of the Colombian government.

“All party members, family members and supporters of the Colombian government,” Trump wrote, will be subject to “visa sanctions.” He did not say which party he was referring to or provide additional details about visa and travel restrictions.

Trump added that all Colombians will face enhanced customs inspections.

Trump’s actions would appear to undermine his goal of reducing his country’s trade deficit. Unlike Mexico or China, Colombia is one of the few countries with a trade deficit with the United States, of around $1.4 billion, according to US trade data.

Colombia is the second-largest buyer of U.S. corn and corn feed, according to the U.S. Grain Council, helping boost U.S. commodity exports from agricultural states like Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska to more than $733 million. of dollars last year.

The boom in American exports has been fueled by a two-decade-old free trade agreement between the two countries, which have long been close partners in the war on drugs. It is unclear whether Trump’s tariffs are allowed under the agreement, which contains a dispute mechanism to resolve trade disputes.

Colombia is the fourth-largest foreign supplier of crude oil to the United States, shipping about 209,000 barrels of oil per day last year, although the boom in domestic production has reduced the United States’ dependence on foreign oil. The South American country is also the largest supplier of fresh cut flowers to the United States.