President Donald Trump posted threats towards Colombia on his social media platform on Sunday after two U.S. army repatriation flights carrying undocumented immigrants weren’t allowed to land there.
In a retaliatory response, Trump aimed his wrath at Colombian President Gustavo Petro, alleging that his resolution “has jeopardized the Nationwide Safety and Public Security of the US.”
“I used to be simply knowledgeable that two repatriation flights from the US, with a lot of Unlawful Criminals, weren’t allowed to land in Colombia. This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who’s already very unpopular amongst his individuals,” Trump stated within the submit. There was no affirmation that each one, if any, passengers aboard the aircraft had been criminals.
Trump additionally stated he has ordered his administration to position an emergency 25% tariff on items coming into the US from Colombia, and he threatened to boost it in per week to 50%.
Moreover, Trump stated his administration would subject a journey ban and instantly revoke the visas of Colombian authorities officers — and people of all the nation’s allies and supporters.
The U.S. president threatened to subject visa sanctions on all get together members, members of the family and supporters of the Colombian authorities.
Citing nationwide safety, Trump added that he would additionally improve Customs and Border Safety Inspections of all Colombian nationals and Colombian cargo.
This mix of images created on January 26, 2025 reveals President Donald Trump in Las Vegas, Nev.,Jan. 25, 2025, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Bogota, Could 31, 2024.
Mandel Ngan/Raul Arboleda/AFP through Getty Photos
Trump stated he would use the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act to totally impose treasury, banking and monetary sanctions.
“These measures are only the start,” Trump stated in his submit. “We is not going to enable the Colombian Authorities to violate its authorized obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they pressured into the US!” No proof has been produced to point out that Colombia pressured anybody into the U.S.
The Colombia International Ministry confirmed to ABC Information that two U.S. army plane had been blocked from touchdown in Colombia on Sunday. It was not instantly clear if all 160 passengers aboard the flights had been Colombian residents.
“A migrant shouldn’t be a felony and should be handled with the dignity that each human being deserves,” Petro stated in an announcement posted on X on Sunday. It included a video of Brazilian deportees handcuffed after touchdown in Brazil.
The International Ministry of Brazil additionally issued a statement Sunday asking the US to make clear the “degrading therapy” of the deportees.
Petro had issued an early-morning statement on X saying that he objected to U.S. army repatriation planes touchdown in Colombia — though, the nation would settle for civilian planes repatriating residents, he added.
However a U.S. protection official instructed ABC Information that the 2 U.S. Air Pressure C-17 transport plane had been granted diplomatic clearances. Then, when the planes had been already heading south, Colombia notified the U.S. that they might not be allowed to land, the protection official stated.
In an announcement posted on X on Sunday afternoon, Petro provided to ship his presidential aircraft to deliver deportees to Colombia in a “dignified” method.
Mexico has additionally denied U.S. army repatriation flights from touchdown there, a U.S. official aware of the state of affairs instructed ABC Information, whereas explaining that such flights should not being ready till in any case diplomatic clearances have been finalized.
Like Colombia, Mexico doesn’t have an issue with contracted civilian plane finishing up the flights, the official stated, and people are what the Division of Homeland Safety usually makes use of.
Discussions are ongoing, the official added.
In an interview on Sunday with Martha Raddatz — ABC Information’ chief world affairs correspondent and a co-anchor of “This Week” — Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, mentioned what would occur to nations that will not take the undocumented immigrants again.
“Oh, they will take them again,” Homan stated. “We bought President Trump coming to energy. President Trump places America first. Mexico did not need the ‘Stay in Mexico’ program underneath the primary administration. They did it. They did not need to put army on the southern border. They did it.”
But when nations did not comply, “then we’ll place them in a 3rd protected nation,” he added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a statement on X on Sunday afternoon, saying, “President Trump has made it clear that underneath his administration, America will now not be lied to nor taken benefit of.”
“It’s the accountability of every nation to take again their residents who’re illegally current in the US in a critical and expeditious method,” Rubio wrote. “Colombian President Petro had licensed flights and supplied all wanted authorizations after which canceled his authorization when the planes had been within the air. As demonstrated by right this moment’s actions, we’re unwavering in our dedication to finish unlawful immigration and bolster America’s border safety.”
Later within the night, the U.S. Division of State added a post saying that Rubio “instantly ordered a suspension of visa issuance on the U.S. Embassy Bogota consular part” and is now “authorizing journey sanctions on people and their households, who had been chargeable for the interference of U.S. repatriation flight operations.”
The tariffs might have a critical influence on Colombia’s economic system as a result of the U.S. is Colombia’s largest buying and selling companion. In response to the U.S. State Division, the US accounts for 34% of Colombia’s complete commerce.
However the tariffs might additionally damage American shoppers: The U.S. imported $17.5 billion {dollars}’ price of products from Colombia in 2024, in response to Moody’s Analytics.
Notably, Colombia is a prime provider of crude oil to the U.S.
Tariffs are a tax on imports that U.S. firms pay to import their items, and the upper prices are largely handed on to shoppers.
Petro responded to Trump’s threatened sanctions late Sunday, saying in a submit on X that Colombia will impose reciprocal 50% tariffs on U.S. items.
“I’m instructed that you just impose a 50% tariff on the fruits of our human labor to enter the US, and I do the identical,” Petro stated in the impassioned post.
Later that night, U.S. Home Speaker Mike Johnson threatened in a post on X that Congress is “absolutely ready” to cross sanctions and “different measures” towards Colombia.
The White Home issued an announcement Shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday saying that Colombia had agreed to all of Trump’s phrases, “together with the unrestricted acceptance of all unlawful aliens from Colombia returned from the US, together with on U.S. army plane, with out limitation or delay.”
The assertion additionally stated that the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act that Trump had drafted wouldn’t go into impact until Colombia didn’t honor the settlement with the U.S.
“The visa sanctions issued by the State Division and enhanced inspections from Customs and Border Safety will stay in impact till the primary planeload of Colombian deportees is efficiently returned,” it stated.
ABC Information’ Luis Martinez, Selina Wang, Hannah Demissie and Nate Luna contributed to this report.
