President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that his administration would impose a series of retaliatory measures against Colombia. This decision came after Colombian President Gustavo Petro refused to allow two U.S. military planes carrying deported migrants to land in Colombia.
Retaliatory Measures
Colombia, a key U.S. ally in Latin America, had been expected to cooperate with U.S. deportation efforts. However, President Petro’s decision to block the flights challenged Trump’s immigration policies. In response, Trump declared that Colombia would face a 25% tariff on all goods imported into the U.S., with plans to increase this to 50% within a week. Additionally, the U.S. will enforce a travel ban and visa revocations for Colombian government officials, along with enhanced border inspections for Colombian nationals and cargo.
Trump stated that these actions were necessary because Colombia’s refusal to accept the deportation flights jeopardised U.S. national security.
“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!” he stated.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that America will “no longer be lied to nor taken advantage of.” Rubio also pointed out that Petro had initially authorised the flights but later cancelled them while the planes were en route.
Economic and Regional Impact
Colombia swiftly responded to the U.S. tariffs by threatening its own tariffs on U.S. goods. This could have significant economic implications for Colombia, given its reliance on the U.S. market. Colombia relies heavily on the U.S. for trade, with about a third of its exports going to the U.S., equivalent to about 4% of its GDP.
Mexico also recently refused to allow a U.S. military flight carrying migrants to land, though Trump has not yet taken similar action against Mexico.
“The U.S. cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals,” President Petro said.
He noted that even though there were 15,660 Americans without legal immigration status in Colombia, he would never carry out a raid to return handcuffed Americans to the U.S.
“We are the opposite of the Nazis,” he added.