President Donald Trump said Sunday he would impose sweeping retaliatory measures against Colombia, including tariffs and visa sanctions, after it denied entry to two U.S. military deportation flights.
“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 Truth Social.
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Department confirmed to NBC News that the flights were denied.
The flights, carried out on U.S. military C-17 aircraft, departed from California carrying about 80 Colombian migrants each, the defense official told NBC News.
In response, Trump announced on Truth Social sweeping retaliatory measures that include tariffs on Colombian imports, visa sanctions on government officials and allies, enhanced customs inspections and financial penalties, as the U.S. accuses Colombia of violating its obligations to accept deported nationals.
Trump justified the measures by writing that President Gustavo “Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States.”
He added that the tariffs on Colombian imports would start at 25% on all goods and would rise to 50% in one week.
The retaliatory measures also include “A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters,” Trump wrote, as well as “Visa Sanctions on all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government.”
Petro responded by saying that Trump’s actions “do not scare me,” adding that Colombia is “not anyone’s colony.” He directed Colombia’s foreign trade minister to raise tariffs on imports from the U.S. by 25% and to direct exports to “the whole world other than the U.S.”
He added that U.S. goods whose price would rise in the national economy must be replaced by nationally produced goods, something which the government would purportedly help accomplish.
According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the total estimated value of goods and services trade between the United States and Colombia in 2022 was $53.5 billion, with the value of exports slightly exceeding the value of imports.
According to the Bureau of Industry and Security, the top U.S. imports from Colombia in recent years were oils and minerals, lime and cement, totaling over 40% of imports, and agricultural goods, which added up to over 26% of imports.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks in Bogotá on June 26, 2023.Sebastian Barros / NurPhoto via Getty Images file
Initially cleared for landing, the flights were grounded after Petro suddenly revoked all diplomatic clearances for them, the official said.
In a statement later, Petro’s office wrote that the flights were halted not because he did not want to facilitate the return of Colombians back into his country but because the government was prioritizing “dignified conditions” for the migrants.
“The Government of Colombia, under the leadership of President Gustavo Petro, has arranged for the presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of Colombian nationals who were to arrive in the country today in the morning hours, coming from deportation flights,” the statement said.
It added: “This measure responds to the Government’s commitment to guarantee dignified conditions. In no way have Colombians, as patriots and subjects of rights, been or will be banished from Colombian territory.”
Mexico temporarily blocked two U.S. planes with 80 passengers each from landing last week, frustrating deportation plans and sparking tensions. While the issue was resolved, Mexican officials have express opposition to the United States’ unilateral actions around immigration policy.
In a statement on X, Petro criticized the use of military planes for deportation.
“A migrant is not a criminal and should be treated with the dignity a human being deserves,” he wrote. “We will receive our nationals in civilian airplanes, without treating them as criminals. Colombia must be respected.”
The Brazilian government condemned what it described as the degrading treatment of its nationals who were on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement repatriation flight Friday, citing the use of handcuffs, a broken air conditioning system and other violations of a bilateral agreement that ensures humane treatment.
On Friday, Guatemala received about 265 deported nationals on three flights from the United States, two of which were military aircraft, according to the Guatemalan Migration Institute.
The flights are part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, initiated through executive orders during Trump’s first week in office. Alongside deportation efforts, the administration has deployed an additional 1,500 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to strengthen enforcement.
Gabe Gutierrez
Steve Kopack contributed.
