Colombia Backs Down From Trade War After Trump’s Deportation Demands
Colombia has reversed its stance on accepting deported migrants from the United States, averting a potential trade war just hours after US President Donald Trump threatened retaliatory tariffs and visa restrictions, Al Jazeera reports.
The sudden climbdown followed a tense standoff where Colombian President Gustavo Petro initially vowed to impose retaliatory tariffs and refused to accept deportation flights unless migrants were treated with “dignity and respect”.
Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo announced late Sunday that officials had “overcome the impasse” and would now accept Colombian citizens deported from the US. This came shortly after the White House issued a statement declaring that Colombia had agreed to all of Trump’s demands, including “unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on US military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”
“Today’s events make clear to the world that America is respected again,” the White House statement proclaimed.
The crisis erupted after Trump threatened to impose a 25 percent “emergency” tariff on Colombian imports, escalating to 50 percent next week, in response to Petro’s initial refusal to accept the deportation flights. Trump’s hardline stance included potential travel bans, visa revocations on government officials, and enhanced border inspections of all Colombian nationals and cargo.
“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 declared on his social media network, Truth Social.
The escalating rhetoric underscored Trump’s determination to enforce his immigration policies.
“President Trump’s going to put America first, and if it doesn’t, then we’ll place ‘em in a third safe country,” Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, told ABC News.
He cited El Salvador’s recent capitulation to US pressure as a model.
The potential trade war would have had significant economic consequences. In 2022, US exports to Colombia were valued at $28.7 billion, while imports totaled $24.8 billion. Top US imports from Colombia include crude oil, coffee, cut flowers, and gold, while Colombia imports significant amounts of US gasoline, corn, and soybeans.
Trump, seemingly celebrating his victory, later posted an image of himself in a pinstripe suit and fedora in front of a sign reading “FAFO,” an acronym for “f* around and find out”.
The situation highlights the growing tensions between the US and Latin American countries over Trump’s immigration policies, which have included the use of military aircraft for deportation flights.
Brazil recently accused the Trump administration of subjecting migrants to “degrading treatment” after deportees were reportedly handcuffed during a commercial flight. However, Trump’s administration has begun using military aircraft to expedite deportations. Recently, two Air Force C-17 cargo planes carrying about 160 deportees touched down in Guatemala, marking one of the first known countries to accept such flights.
Mexico initially reportedly refused a military flight carrying deportees, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarified that Mexico had accepted “a record” four deportation flights on a single day.
