US, Colombia conflict over deportations and lift tariffs in present of Trump’s pledge to restrict migration | EUROtoday

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The United States and Colombia, lengthy shut companions in anti-narcotics efforts, clashed Sunday over the deportation of migrants and imposed tariffs on one another’s items in a present of what international locations might face in the event that they intervene within the Trump administration’s crackdown on unlawful immigration.

Presidents Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro, in a collection of social media posts, defended their views on migration, with the latter accusing Trump of not treating immigrants with dignity throughout deportation and saying a retaliatory 25% enhance in Colombian tariffs on U.S. items.

Earlier, the U.S. president had ordered visa restrictions, 25% tariffs on all Colombian incoming items, which might be raised to 50% in a single week, and different retaliatory measures sparked by Petro’s choice to reject two Colombia-bound U.S. army plane carrying migrants.

Trump mentioned the measures had been mandatory as a result of Petro’s choice “jeopardized” nationwide safety within the U.S.

“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 with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States.”

Earlier Sunday, Petro mentioned his authorities wouldn’t settle for flights carrying migrants deported from the U.S. till the Trump administration creates a protocol that treats them with “dignity.” Petro made the announcement in two X posts, one in every of which included a information video of migrants reportedly deported to Brazil strolling on a tarmac with restraints on their fingers and ft.

“A migrant is not a criminal and must be treated with the dignity that a human being deserves,” Petro mentioned. “That is why I returned the U.S. army planes that had been carrying Colombian migrants… In civilian planes, with out being handled like criminals, we’ll obtain our fellow residents.”

After Trump’s announcement, Petro said in a post on X that he had ordered the “foreign trade minister to raise import tariffs from the U.S. by 25%.”

Colombia has traditionally been the U.S.’s top ally in Latin America. But their relationship has strained since Petro, a former guerrilla, became Colombia’s first leftist president in 2022 and sought distance from the U.S.

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

Colombia is also among the countries that last year began accepting U.S.-funded deportation flights from Panama.

The U.S. government didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press regarding aircraft and protocols used in deportations to Colombia.

“This is a clear message we are sending that countries have an obligation to accept repatriation flights,” a senior administration official informed AP. The official spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to debate subject publicly.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an announcement mentioned Petro “canceled his authorization” for the flights when the plane had been within the air.

No official order had been issued as of Sunday afternoon that might enable for the implementation of the measures Trump introduced.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed to AP the company suspended processing visas on the U.S. Embassy in Colombia’s capital, Bogota, “in direct response to President Petro’s decision to not accept repatriation flights of Colombian citizens.”

Colombians emerged lately as a serious presence on the U.S. border with Mexico, aided partly by a visa regime that enables them to simply fly to Mexico and keep away from trekking although the treacherous Darien Gap. They ranked fourth with 127,604 arrests for unlawful crossings throughout a 12-month interval by means of September, behind Mexicans, Guatemalans and Venezuelans.

Mexico hasn’t imposed visa restrictions on Colombians, as they’ve on Venezuelans, Ecuadoreans and Peruvians.

Petro’s authorities in an announcement later introduced that the South American nation’s presidential plane had been made accessible to facilitate the return of migrants who had been to reach hours earlier on the U.S. army airplanes and assure them “dignified conditions.”

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

Two U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo planes carrying migrants removed from the U.S. touched down early Friday in Guatemala. That same day, Honduras received two deportation flights carrying a total of 193 people.

In announcing what he called “urgent and decisive retaliatory measures,” Trump defined that he ordered the tariffs and “A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations” on Colombian authorities officers, allies and supporters.

“All Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government,” Trump wrote can be topic to “Visa Sanctions.” He didn’t say to which social gathering he was referring to or present any further particulars on the visa and journey restrictions.

Trump added that each one Colombians will face enhanced customs inspections.

Trump’s actions would appear to undercut his objective to scale back his nation’s commerce deficit. Unlike Mexico or China, Colombia is without doubt one of the few international locations with a commerce deficit with the U.S., of round $1.4 billion, in accordance with U.S. commerce knowledge.

Colombia is the U.S.’s second largest purchaser of corn and corn feed, in accordance with the U.S. grains council, serving to increase U.S. commodity exports from farm belt states like Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska to greater than $733 million final 12 months.

The U.S. export growth has been pushed by a two-decade-old free commerce settlement between the 2 international locations, which have for lengthy been shut companions within the warfare on medication. It is unclear if Trump’s tariffs are allowed beneath the settlement, which comprises a dispute mechanism to resolve commerce fights.

Colombia is the U.S.’s fourth-largest abroad provider of crude oil, transport about 209,000 barrels of oil per day final 12 months, though booming home manufacturing has diminished the U.S.’ dependence on overseas oil. The South American nation can be the U.S.’s largest provider of contemporary minimize flowers.

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Regina Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Jill Colvin in New York, Joshua Goodman in Miami, and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.