CNN
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The White Home mentioned Sunday evening that Colombia has agreed to permit the US to move repatriated migrants again to the nation after two US navy planes carrying deportees had been blocked by Colombia early Sunday, sparking a flurry of tariff threats between President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart.
After Colombian President Gustavo Petro rejected the navy planes from touchdown, stating the US “can’t treat Colombian migrants like criminals,” Trump ordered “emergency 25% tariffs” on all imports from the nation that will be raised to 50% in per week, a “travel ban” for Colombian residents, and a revocation of visas for Colombian officers within the US.
“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 wrote on Reality Social.
Hours later, Petro threatened a 25% retaliatory tariff enhance on the US in a collection of social media posts attacking Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Petro mentioned he objected to the usage of navy planes and the therapy of migrants however left the door open to Colombia receiving repatriated migrants touring on civilian planes.
Late Sunday night, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt introduced the US and Colombia had agreed to the “unrestricted acceptance” of migrants from Colombia and would permit them to be returned to the nation “including on US military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”
Leavitt mentioned within the assertion the US wouldn’t signal the tariffs or financial sanctions Trump ordered “unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement.”
Leavitt mentioned tariffs and monetary sanctions will probably be paused, however visa sanctions towards Colombian officers and stricter customs inspections of Colombian nationals and cargo ships ordered by Trump earlier Sunday will stay in impact “until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned.”
Colombian International Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo confirmed late Sunday — simply moments after the White Home’s assertion — that US deportation flights have resumed.
The escalating commerce threats mark the primary time Trump took main motion towards one other nation over his immigration coverage since he took workplace final week.
Rubio mentioned in an assertion Sunday afternoon that Colombian officers had accredited two navy flights carrying migrants to Colombia after which revoked the authorization as soon as they had been en route. CNN reported earlier, primarily based on a evaluate of paperwork, that Colombian officers had accredited the flights.
“Colombian President Petro had authorized flights and provided all needed authorizations and then canceled his authorization when the planes were in the air. As demonstrated by today’s actions, we are unwavering in our commitment to end illegal immigration and bolster America’s border security,” Rubio mentioned.
Petro disputed that he had given authorization, writing on X after the secretary of state’s assertion, “I will never allow Colombians to be brought in handcuffs on flights. Marco, if officials from the Foreign Ministry allowed this, it would never be under my direction.”
Petro additionally referred to as on US residents residing in Colombia illegally to “regularize” their keep, with out providing specifics. “American citizens who wish to do so can be in Colombia, I believe in human freedom,” he wrote on X, including: “You will never see me burning a US flag or carrying out a raid to return handcuffed illegal immigrants to the US.”
CNN had beforehand reported Trump administration officers had been stunned and pissed off when Petro mentioned he was blocking US deportation flights from getting into the nation. Sources throughout the Colombian authorities had been additionally caught unexpectedly by Petro’s publish.
The US Embassy in Bogota had suspended visa processing in retaliation for Colombia’s refusal to just accept repatriation flights, the State Division mentioned in an announcement Sunday night. CNN beforehand reported on the suspension of visa processing. The suspension applies to immigrant and non-immigrant visas, which usually quantity within the hundreds every day. Rubio additionally approved “travel sanctions on individuals and their families, who were responsible for the interference of U.S. repatriation flight operations,” the assertion mentioned.
The issuance of visa restrictions on people from allied international locations is a rare transfer, as it’s one that’s sometimes reserved for adversaries or people who’ve dedicated human rights abuses. Colombia is a significant non-NATO ally of the US. It’s unclear what number of Colombian officers the US has imposed visa restrictions on.
Trump’s response to Colombia’s rejection of repatriated residents marked the primary main conflict with one other nation over immigration points since he started his second time period.
“You can’t go out there and publicly defy us in that way,” a Trump administration official instructed CNN. “We’re going to make sure the world knows they can’t get away with being nonserious and deceptive.”
The US started utilizing navy plane to return current border crossers again to their international locations of origin final week. On Thursday, the US returned migrants to Guatemala utilizing navy planes.
White Home border czar Tom Homan mentioned Sunday he expects navy flights transporting deported migrants to proceed every day, partly as a message to different nations.
The Division of Protection “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 instructed ABC Information.
The US can be asking Mexico for assist repatriating its nationals by way of land ports of entry alongside the US-Mexico border, although Mexico additionally appeared to show round a navy flight heading for the nation final week.
Brazil joined Colombia on Sunday in condemning the Trump administration’s dealing with of repatriated migrants on deportation flights, denouncing the therapy of Brazilian nationals who arrived within the nation Friday as “degrading.”
Brazilian authorities mentioned they discovered 88 handcuffed deportees on a US flight headed to Belo Horizonte, Brazil, that landed in Manaus because of a “technical error.” Brazilian officers didn’t authorize the aircraft to proceed on because of “the use of handcuffs and chains, the poor condition of the aircraft, with a faulty air conditioning system, among other problems,” and the migrants had been transported to Manaus on a Brazilian Air Drive flight.
Colombia is just not a significant buying and selling associate with the US, delivery roughly $14 billion value of products in 2023, the newest full 12 months of knowledge, in accordance with Comtrade, an authority on commerce knowledge. Most of Colombia’s exports to the US had been minerals, oil, metals and occasional.
Espresso costs have shot larger over the previous 12 months, and the tariffs, if enacted by the Trump administration, might have made costs much more costly for American customers. That’s as a result of importers pay the tariffs and infrequently move the elevated prices on to customers.
Though tariffs may be an efficient negotiating device, they’re usually disliked by economists, who imagine they’re inflationary and might ignite commerce wars, which ship costs even larger. That’s not a universally held view, although. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, lately instructed CNBC that if tariffs assist with nationwide safety and trigger a bit of little bit of inflation, then folks ought to “get over it.”
However Trump has promised across-the-board tariffs on different international locations as quickly as this week if their items aren’t manufactured in the US. These tariffs might dramatically enhance costs for People.
Financial and international coverage analysts had urged Colombia to take warning after getting concerned in a diplomatic feud with the US over the deportation flights.
A assume tank of former international ministers and analysts implored the Colombian authorities to protect its relationship with Washington via dialogue and mutual respect.
“The Colombian Council on International Relations (CORI) calls on the national government to exercise its foreign policy with responsibility, pragmatism and strategy. … There is no room for improvisation in international relations,” the group mentioned in an announcement.
The group additionally mentioned migration flows have to be addressed in compliance with bilateral agreements, noting that in 2024, 124 deportation flights had been carried out from the US to Colombia with the approval of each governments, in what it referred to as a “historic and permanent mechanism.”
CORI added that each nations should keep away from industrial retaliation, which it mentioned would solely hurt Colombia.
The top of the Colombo American Chamber of Commerce, Maria Claudia Lacouture, echoed these sentiments in a publish on X, saying, “We call for sanity, dialogue and common sense, prioritizing diplomatic channels to overcome this serious crisis in the shortest possible time.”
She warned that if the US imposed 25% tariffs on Colombian merchandise, the influence can be rapid and devastating.
“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 mentioned.
This story and headline have been up to date with further developments.
CNN’s David Goldman, Omar Fajardo, Duarte Mendonça, Julia Vargas Jones, Jennifer Hansler and Gabriela Frías contributed to this report.
