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Colombia Repatriates 110 Citizens After Rejecting US Flights Amid Tensions with Trump

Jan 28, 2025, 10:00 AM

Colombia has rejected two US military aircraft carrying approximately 160 Colombian migrants being deported from the United States, according to US officials cited by Reuters. The US flights, carried out on military C-17 aircraft departing from California, were turned away by Colombia on January 26. The deportation flights carried about 80 migrants each. In response, Colombian President Gustavo Petro offered his presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of the deportees, including 26 minors. The Colombian Air Force dispatched aircraft from El Paso, Texas, to repatriate 110 Colombian citizens. The first plane arrived in Bogotá on January 28, with President Petro welcoming the deported Colombians, emphasizing that they returned "free, dignified, without being handcuffed." This development follows tensions between Colombia and the administration of US President Donald Trump over deportation practices. Local media reported that two Colombian military planes arrived with around 200 deportees in total.