Repatriation flights began landing in Colombia Tuesday after President Donald Trump successfully strong-armed the country into accepting their deportees again.
The first Colombian government plane carrying Colombian nationals deported from the United States arrived early Tuesday in the capital city of Bogota, President Gustavo Petro announced. The flight marked an end to a short-lived feud that nearly resulted in a trade war between the United States and Colombian governments over Petro’s initial refusal to accept deportation flights.
Colombian officials Sunday turned away U.S. aircraft carrying Colombian nationals deported from the U.S., alleging that the American government was mistreating them.
“The US cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I deny the entry of American planes carrying Colombian migrants into our territory,” Petro said Sunday. “The United States must establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them.”
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro speaks during the eighth commemoration of the signing of the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas at Bolivar Square in Bogota on November 21, 2024. (Photo by Andrea ARIZA / AFP) (Photo by ANDREA ARIZA/AFP via Getty Images)
The response from the Trump administration was swift and severe.
Trump Sunday declared that he would slap emergency 25% tariffs on all Colombian goods imported into the U.S. and would increase these tariffs to 50% within a week. Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio authorized visa suspensions against Colombian nationals and travel bans against officials involved in the blocking of the deportation flights.
“These measures are just the beginning,” Trump said of the retaliatory measures. “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!”
Roughly one hour after the retaliatory measures were announced, Petro’s government confirmed that it had arranged for their presidential plane to facilitate the “dignified” return of the Colombian nationals, and made other statements highlighting their desire for a dignified deportation process for their compatriots. Despite already appearing to acquiesce to U.S. demands by agreeing to accept his deportees, Petro later Sunday took to social media to threaten retaliatory tariffs on American goods if Trump went through with his threat.
Colombia’s foreign office said the first deportation plane to arrive Tuesday would be carrying 110 Colombian nationals from San Diego and the second flight would be carrying another group of deportees, according to Reuters.
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