Trump Slaps Sanctions After Colombia Defies Deportation Push
Date
1/26/2025 7:13:57 PM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
AFP
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered sweeping tariffs and sanctions against Colombia in retaliation for its refusal to accept deportation flights, doubling down on his immigration crackdown as he sought to silence a chorus of defiance in Latin America.
Trump, back into office for less than a week, said he would impose tariffs of 25 percent on Colombian products that would rise to 50 percent in a week.
His authority to do so was unclear as Colombia, historically one of Washington's closest allies in Latin America, enjoys a free-trade agreement with the United States.
Trump also said he would immediately revoke visas for Colombian government officials and "supporters" of President Gustavo Petro -- and subject Colombians to greater scrutiny at airports.
"These measures are just the beginning. 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!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump took office with promises to round up and swiftly deport foreigners unlawfully in the United States, but has faced resistance from Petro, elected in 2022 as the first left-wing leader of Latin America's fourth-largest economy.
"The United States cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I forbid entry to our territory to US planes carrying Colombian migrants," Petro wrote on X.
In a later post, he said he had "turned back US military planes." Trump said two US planes were not allowed to land.
The Colombian government said it was instead ready to send its presidential plane to the United States to transport "with dignity" the migrants whose flights were blocked by Bogota.
Petro also said he was ready to allow civilian US flights carrying deported migrants to land, as long as those on board were not treated "like criminals."
The Colombian leader later said more than 15,600 undocumented Americans were living in his country and urged them to "regularize their situation," while ruling out raids to arrest and deport them.
The trip comes days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Latin America -- but not Colombia -- on his first trip as top US diplomat as he seeks support for Trump's policies.
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