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Bogota will dispatch a presidential plane to pick up migrants slated for deportation from the US
Colombia has bowed to pressure from Washington and reversed its decision to bar US flights carrying deported illegal migrants from landing in the country.
On Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that he will turn away American military aircraft full of deportees unless the US sets up “a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants.” US President Donald Trump quickly reacted by promising to impose tariffs on Colombian goods and visa restrictions on Colombian officials.
Bogota announced later on Sunday that Petro’s presidential plane would be sent to pick up Colombian nationals slated for deportation. “The government of Colombia, under the direction of President Gustavo Petro, has arranged for the presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of Colombia nationals who were to arrive in the country today in the morning hours, coming in from deportation flights,” Petro’s office said in a statement.
“Colombians, as patriots and subjects of rights, were not and will not be banished from Colombian territory,” the statement said.
In a lengthy post on X on Monday, Petro condemned the coercion from Washington. “You can use your economic power and arrogance to attempt to stage a coup d’etat, like you did with Allende,” the president wrote, referring to the CIA-orchestrated 1973 military coup in Chile, which led to the murder of democratically elected President Salvador Allende and the imposition of the US-backed dictator Augusto Pinochet.
“But I will die standing by my principles. I’ve endured torture, and I will endure you,” Petro warned. “You will never dominate us.” He promised to impose tariffs on American goods in response to economic restrictions from the US.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt released a statement later on Monday saying that Colombia “has agreed to all of President Trump’s demands, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on US military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”
Leavitt added that the drafted tariffs “will be held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement.” Visa restrictions and enhanced border and customs checks will stay in place “until the first planeload of Colombia deportees is successfully returned,” she said.
Trump, who was sworn in on January 20, made the fight against illegal immigration one of the key issues of his election campaign. Shortly after taking office, he declared an emergency at the border and deployed additional active-duty soldiers to assist border agents. He also vowed to ramp up deportations.
