Colombia to receive Deportees!
US President Donald J. Trump speaks at an event at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, 25 January 2025. EFE-EPA/BIZUAYEHU TESFAYE

Colombia to receive Deportees!

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Washington, Jan 26 (EFE).-

The crisis between the United States and Colombia over the repatriation of immigrants ended with the US asserting late Sunday that the Bogota government had accepted all of President Donald Trump’s terms on the matter.

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“The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on US military aircraft, without limitation or delay,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Almost immediately, Colombian President Gustavo Petro reposted the US statement without any comment although he deleted it minutes later without any explanation.

The stern statement issued by the White House said that, according to this agreement, the tariffs promised by Donald Trump against Colombian imports and the sanctions “will be held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement.”

But it clarified that “visa sanctions issued by the State Department” against senior Colombian officials as well as “enhanced inspections from Customs and Border Protection inspections will remain in effect until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned.”

“President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation’s sovereignty, and he expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States,” the statement concluded.

On Sunday, Trump announced the imposition of 25 percent tariffs on all Colombian products, which would rise to 50 percent within a week, and the revocation of visas for senior Colombian government officials and their families.

In addition, the president ordered enhanced inspections at customs and border controls for all Colombian citizens and goods, and the imposition of fiscal, banking and financial sanctions on Colombia, to which was added the announcement of the suspension of the issuance of visas at the US embassy in Bogotá.

The US government attributed these measures to “President Petro’s refusal to accept two repatriation flights he previously authorized.”

In retaliation, Petro announced that Colombia would also apply tariffs of 25 percent on imported US products, and then posted multiple messages on his X account to defend his position, which he now seems to have retracted.

Although the exact reason that had led Petro to reject two deportation flights – which have been common since former US President Joe Biden’s term – has not been specified, it seems to be that the US used military aircraft for this purpose and brought the emigrants in handcuffs, something that it has already been doing with similar flights arriving in Brazil.

The US is Colombia’s largest commercial partner with exports to the North American country mainly including refined petroleum, gold, aluminum, coal, coffee and flowers. EFE

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