Colombia has refused to deport migrants from the United States, setting off an angry response from President Trump on Sunday, who announced tariffs and sanctions targeting the country, a top U.S. ally in Latin America.
The United States will immediately impose tariffs of 25 percent on all Colombian imports and raise them to 50 percent within a week under Mr. Trump gossip on social media.
The Trump administration will also “fully implement” banking and financial sanctions against Colombia and lift the travel ban and visas for Colombian government officials.
The move reflects how Mr Trump is making an example of Colombia as a country Around the world We grapple with how to prepare for the mass deportations threatened by mass immigration.
“It looks like a very bold and daring escalation on both sides,” said the Latin American Council on Foreign Relations, referring to the economic reliability of Colombia to the United States, which still has the largest trade partner of the South American country, as China has developed.
“But equally, to threaten Colombia in this way is quite bold,” Mr Freeman said. “That's because Colombia remains historically the longest-standing, deepest, strategic ally in the region.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said in a series of social media earlier Sunday writing Colombia will not accept military deportation flights from the United States until the Trump administration provides a process to treat Colombian migrants with “dignity and respect.”
Mr Petro also said Colombia had already turned away military planes carrying Colombian deportees. While other countries in Latin America have raised concerns about Mr Trump's sweeping deportation plans, Colombia appears to be among the first to publicly refuse to cooperate.
“I can't let migrants stay in a country they don't want,” Mr. Petro wrote, “but if this country sends them back, it should be with dignity and respect for them and our country.”
He said he is still open to receiving deportations on flights that are not available.
Mr. Petrou's position has put him on a collision course with Mr. Trump since he took office last Monday, issuing a series of executive orders and other moves aimed at holding back large numbers of migrants to try to deport them.
The proposals alone could be a significant blow to Colombia's economy. The United States is Colombia's largest trading partner, with top Colombian exports including oil, coffee and cut flowers.
Mr. Petro also drew attention to Americans living in Colombia. On a social media postMr. Petro said more than 15,000 Americans were living without permission and called for “regularization” of their immigration status.
The US Embassy in Bogota did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Petro did not say when or how many military planes or migrants were turned away.
There were 190,000 unauthorized Colombian immigrants living in the U.S. in 2022, according to the most recent data Pew Research Center.
A representative for Mr. Petro confirmed that the planes had turned away, but did not immediately respond to other questions. Representatives for Colombia's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Colombia has traditionally been a close ally of ours, although differences have recently emerged over housing policy. Although Mr. Petro has been more critical of former US presidents, he has continued to cooperate with the United States and received regular flights, said Sergio Guzmán, a Colombian political scientist.
That's what makes this new approach so surprising,” he said.
The U.S. usually sends back deportees on planes that look like commercial planes operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ice. After Mr. Trump signed one Executive order to assist in securing the military borderDefense Secretary Robert G. Saless said in a statement last week that the military would provide aircraft to support deportation flights.
In addition to military aircraft in addition to regular flights operated by Buz, the Trump administration said several times in countries in the region that they did not replace typical flights, which Mr. Petro called “civilian flights” and “
New aircraft sent by the military can only leave the United States if the host nation approves them. Before sending military flights, the State Department first “obtains the necessary diplomatic clearance and the host will provide notification,” Mr. Saless said.
It is not clear which countries accept which countries if Colombia agrees or if Colombia agrees or later withdraws its agreement.
Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs complained “humiliating treatment“Then citizens 88 migrants He was handcuffed on a flight from the US on Friday and allowed to use the bathroom after being manhandled after being denied some water.
on Friday, Guatemala received two US air force Around 160 aircraft take off during the holiday, making it one of the first countries to openly accept such flights. The Guatemalan government sent the country's vice president on C-17 planes to monitor the arrival of the deportees, and the Trump administration praised the effort in messages on social media.
Officials in Mexico, the source of the largest number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States, have said they remain open to receiving deported nationals, and the dailies remain clear that they are taken to Mexican cities along the U.S. border.
“When it comes to repatriation, on behalf of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we will always welcome Mexican men and women to our territory. statement Friday night on social media.
So far, Mexican authorities have not said they plan to accept military flights or receive migrants deported from other countries, as Mexico sometimes sees.
on Friday, News centers reported Mexico had turned away a military aircraft that could not be independently confirmed, a military aircraft that could not be independently confirmed.
Honduras like Colombia opposed The Trump administration's mass deportation plans are open to accepting military flights, he said.
Foreign Minister Enrique Reina said in an interview on Saturday that he is “open to receiving our compatriots as long as the conditions are suitable and properly coordinated.”
He said the government had been in talks with the US embassy in Honduras about deportation flights, but had not been formally asked to allow military planes carrying deportees to arrive.
Up to four million illegal immigrants from Mexico, representing about 37 percent of the approximately 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States, according to to the Pew Research Center.
But Mexico is still the world's most common country of birth for unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., down from a record low of 6.9 million in 2007.
The population of unauthorized immigrants from other countries has grown, especially from the Caribbean, South America, and Asia.
Annie Correal He reported from the city of Mexico.