Official statements from the Colombian government or the US State Department

Colombia Sends Planes for 160 Deportees After Trump's Tariff Threats

Jan 27, 2025, 11:10 AM

Colombia has agreed to accept deported migrants from the United States after President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs and sanctions on the South American nation. Initially, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro had refused to allow U.S. military aircraft carrying deported Colombian migrants to land, stating that the migrants should be treated with dignity and not like criminals. In response, Trump announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on all Colombian imports, potentially increasing to 50% within a week, and implement visa restrictions on Colombian officials. After the threat, Petro quickly agreed to accept the deported migrants, offering to send the presidential plane to transport them. Two Colombian government planes were dispatched to the United States to repatriate 160 deportees. The White House confirmed that Colombia had agreed to all of Trump's terms, leading to the suspension of the threatened tariffs and sanctions.