Trump imposes tariffs, visa restrictions on Colombia over rejected deportation flights

Washington/Bogotá: US President Donald Trump has announced the imposition of tariffs, visa restrictions, and other retaliatory measures against Colombia after the country rejected two US deportation flights carrying migrants. Trump stated that the Colombian government's actions had put US national security at risk.

Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to condemn Colombia's decision. “These measures are just the beginning,” Trump wrote. “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.”

The president's remarks followed Colombian President Gustavo Petro's refusal to accept flights carrying deported migrants from the US. Petro stated that Colombia would not accept these flights until the US administration created a protocol to ensure the migrants were treated with “dignity.”

Petro’s opposition to deportation practices

Petro, through two posts on X (formerly Twitter), explained that his government would not receive the deported migrants unless the US treated them humanely. One of Petro's posts included a video showing migrants reportedly deported to Brazil, walking with restraints on their hands and feet.

“A migrant is not a criminal and must be treated with the dignity that a human being deserves,” Petro said. “That is why I returned the US military planes that were carrying Colombian migrants.”

At the time of writing, the US government had not yet responded to the agency's request for comment on the protocols and aircraft used for deportations to Colombia.

Petro added that his country would only accept Colombians on “civilian airplanes” and would not tolerate “treatment like criminals” for its citizens.

Trump’s continued crackdown on illegal immigration

This latest development is part of Trump’s ongoing efforts to fulfil campaign promises related to stricter immigration policies. His administration has been utilising active-duty military personnel to help secure the US border and oversee deportations.

In related deportation efforts, the US government recently sent two Air Force C-17 cargo planes carrying migrants to Guatemala, with a similar number of flights also arriving in Honduras, carrying a total of 193 deported individuals.

Agency