Trump threatens Colombia with ‘decisive retaliatory measures’ for turning away deportation flights
President Donald Trump has threatened Colombia with “decisive retaliatory measures” after two “repatriation flights” were not allowed to land in the country, the commander-in-chief wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
“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,” Trump wrote on the social media platform. “This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people.”
He added: “Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take … urgent and decisive retaliatory measures.”
Trump went on to say that the U.S. government will impose 25 percent tariffs on Colombia on “all goods” going to the U.S. In a week, those tariffs will be raised to 50 percent, the president claimed.
The president added that a travel ban and visa revocations will be imposed on Colombian government officials, as well as “all allies and supporters.”
He also said that “visa sanctions” would be imposed on “all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government.”
The American president went on to promise that there would be “Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds.”
Trump also noted that financial sanctions would be “fully imposed.”
“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.
This comes after Petro said in a series of posts on X that Colombia would not accept military deportation flights from the U.S. until the Trump White House sets up a process to treat Colombian migrants with “dignity and respect.”
“I do not authorize the entry of North American planes carrying Colombian migrants into our territory,” Petro said on X. “The U.S. must establish a protocol of dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them.”
Petro noted that Colombia had already turned away military flights with Colombian deportees.
“I cannot make migrants stay in a country that does not want them, but if that country sends them back, it should be with dignity and respect for them and for our country,” said Petro.
Petro said he would allow civilian planes carrying deportees to land in his country, but that he would block the arrival of military planes.
