Colombia has agreed to accept deported migrants being returned on military planes after a tense standoff with the US, which had threatened steep tariffs and other punitive measures.
Colombia Backs Down on Accepting Deportees After Trump’s Tariffs Threats
Colombia has agreed to accept deported migrants being returned on military planes, after a flurry of threats from President Donald Trump that included steep tariffs.
The agreement comes after two US military planes carrying deportees were blocked from entering the country. Colombia had previously approved the flights, but Colombian President Gustavo Petro disputed he had authorized them – and US officials claim the authorization was revoked once the planes were en route.
Petro blocked the planes from landing, accusing the US of treating Colombian migrants like criminals – prompting Trump to order steep tariffs on all Colombian imports, a travel ban for Colombian citizens, the revoking of visas for Colombian officials in the US, and suspending visa processing for both immigrant and non-immigrant visas.
The visa restrictions are particularly extraordinary as they are usually reserved for adversaries or individuals who have committed human rights abuses – while Colombia is a major non-NATO ally of the US, and has been its closest partner in South America for decades.
In response to Trump’s threats, Petro threatened retaliatory tariffs on the US and attacked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on social media. However, by Sunday evening, the White House announced that the two countries had reached an agreement.
The face-off also demonstrates the potential challenges facing other countries as they brace for Trump’s immigration crackdown – with the new president already threatening tariffs on Canada and Mexico over border issues.
Consequences of a Trade War
Though a trade war may have been averted for now, the tit-for-tat threats highlighted the expensive fallout one could cause. Colombia is not a major trading partner with the US, but its major exports include minerals, metals, and coffee. Coffee prices have already shot higher over the past year, and tariffs could make it even more expensive for American consumers.
And even if Trump walks back his threats against Colombia, he has promised across-the-board tariffs on other countries as soon as this week if they don’t move manufacturing to the US. Those tariffs could dramatically boost prices for Americans, because importers pay the tariffs and often pass the increased costs on to consumers.
International Reaction
Meanwhile, economic and foreign policy analysts also urged Colombia to avoid a diplomatic feud with the US. The Colombian Council on International Relations (CORI), a think tank of former foreign ministers and analysts, warned that commercial retaliation would only harm Colombia, and warned the country’s government to preserve its relationship with Washington.
The head of the Colombo-American Chamber of Commerce, Maria Claudia Lacouture, echoed those sentiments in a post on X, warning that US tariffs on Colombian products would have an immediate and devastating impact. “In coffee alone, more than 500,000 families depend on this sector. In flower farming, thousands of single mothers would lose their livelihood. And we can continue adding sectors that will be affected,” she said.
Brazil Condemns ‘Degrading’ Aircraft Conditions
The US began using military aircraft to return recent border crossers back to their countries of origin last week, with flights expected to continue daily – partly as a message to other nations, White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday. The Defense Department “has helped administrations before, but not at this level. So it’s a force multiplier, and it’s sending a strong signal to the world. Our border’s closed,” Homan told ABC News.
The US is also asking Mexico for help repatriating its nationals via land ports of entry along the US-Mexico border, though Mexico also appeared to turn around a military flight heading for the country last week. Brazil joined Colombia on Sunday in condemning the Trump administration’s handling of repatriated migrants on deportation flights, denouncing the treatment of Brazilian nationals who arrived in the country Friday as “degrading.”
Brazilian authorities said they found 88 handcuffed deportees on a US flight that mistakenly landed in a different city than its intended destination. Brazilian officials did not authorize the plane to continue on due to “the use of handcuffs and chains, the poor condition of the aircraft, with a faulty air conditioning system, among other problems,” and the migrants were transported to their final destination on a Brazilian Air Force flight.
