President Donald Trump unleashed retaliatory measures against the Colombian government after repatriation flights of Colombian citizens were rejected.
On Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced his government had turned away two flights of Colombian nationals who had been in the United States illegally. For his reasoning, he complained that migrants weren't being treated with “dignity and respect.”
Trump was quick to respond.
"I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia. This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people," Trump announced in a Truth Social post, adding that the move had "jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States."
In response, Trump announced an immediate "emergency" 25% tariff on all imported goods from Colombia, which would be raised to 50% the next week; a travel ban and visa revocations of all "Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters"; visa sanctions on all "Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government."
Trump also announced enhanced inspections of all Colombian nationals "on national security grounds" and International Emergency Economic Powers Act sanctions.
"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 concluded.
The drastic measures are the first of their kind by Trump.
Following Trump's announcement, Petro's government appeared to change course. The president's office wrote in a Sunday afternoon letter that Petro was offering up his presidential plane for the deportations so Colombian citizens could have a "dignified" return.
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Last week, Mexico had rejected a U.S. military flight of migrants. Brazil had complained of the treatment of Brazilian nationals aboard a flight but had accepted them.
The U.S. military has been utilizing military planes to deport illegal immigrants as part of Trump's national emergency declaration. One U.S. official told Reuters that this is the first instance in recent history of military flights being used to deport migrants.