U.S. Immigration Post

The United States and Colombia are engaged in a conflict regarding the deportation practices of the U.S., which are viewed as undignified and inhumane with migrants arriving like violent criminals with handcuffed hands and chained feet. In response, Trump implemented tariffs, issued threats, and canceled visas for Colombian government officials.  

As a demonstration of what might happen if nations interfere with the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, the United States and Colombia, longtime allies, clashed today, on Sunday, January 26, 2025, over the deportation of migrants and imposed tariffs on each other’s goods.

In a series of social media posts, Presidents Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro defended their positions on migration. The latter claimed that Trump had not treated immigrants with respect when they were being deported and threatened to raise Colombian tariffs on American goods by 25% in retaliation.

Prior to this, Petro’s decision to turn away two Colombia-bound U.S. military personnel prompted Trump to impose visa restrictions, 25% taxes on all inbound Colombian commodities that would be increased to 50% in a week, and other punitive measures.  

Trump claimed that Petro’s choice “jeopardized” American national security, which is why the actions were required.

Trump posted on his social media network, Truth Social, that “these measures are just the beginning.” “With regard to the acceptance and repatriation of the criminals they coerced into the United States, we will not permit the Colombian government to breach its legal duties.”

The limits on visas for Colombian government officials and their families “who were responsible for the interference of U.S. repatriation flight operations” were authorized by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later on Sunday. They were enforced in addition to the State Department’s decision to halt visa processing at the American Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.

According to Rubio, the limitations will remain in place “until Colombia fulfills its obligations to accept the return of its own citizens.”

Petro stated earlier in the day that unless the Trump administration establishes a procedure that handles them with “dignity,” his government would not allow aircraft that carry migrants who have been deported from the United States. Petro announced the news in two X posts, one of which featured a news video showing migrants who were allegedly deported to Brazil strolling on a tarmac while wearing hand and foot cuffs.

Petro stated that a migrant must be treated with the respect that every human being is entitled to since they are not criminals. “For this reason, I sent the American military aircraft that were transporting migrants from Colombia back… We shall meet our fellow citizens in private aircraft without being treated like criminals.

Petro wrote on X that he had instructed the “foreign trade minister to raise import tariffs from the U.S. by 25%” following Trump’s declaration.

Colombia has long been the United States’ most important Latin American friend. However, since Petro, a former rebel, was elected Colombia’s first Marxist president in 2022 and moved to distance himself from the United States, their relationship has been tense.

According to Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that monitors flight data, Colombia took in 475 deportation flights from the United States between 2020 and 2024, ranking fifth after Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador. In 2024, it took in 124 deportation flights.

Colombia is among the nations that started to accept U.S.-funded deportation flights from Panama last year.

A visa policy that allows Colombians to fly to Mexico and circumvent the Darien Gap has helped them become a big presence on the U.S.-Mexico border. They were fourth in illegal crossing arrests with 127,604 from January to September, after Mexicans, Guatemalans, and Venezuelans.

Mexico has visa restrictions on Venezuelans, Ecuadoreans, and Peruvians but not Colombians.

Petro’s government then claimed that its presidential aircraft will help return refugees who arrived hours earlier on U.S. military planes in “dignified conditions.”

Trump is employing active-duty troops to police the border and deport undocumented migrants to fulfill his campaign pledges.

As part of his “urgent and decisive retaliatory measures,” Trump ordered tariffs and “A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations” on Colombian leaders, allies, and supporters.“All Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government,” Trump added, will face “Visa Sanctions.” He did not specify the party or visa and travel restrictions.

Trump stated that all Colombians will face stricter customs checks.

Trump’s actions appear to undermine his trade deficit reduction goal. According to U.S. trade data, Colombia is one of the few countries with a $1.4 billion trade imbalance, unlike Mexico or China.

The U.S. grains council reports that Colombia is the second-largest importer of corn and corn feed, boosting commodity exports from states including Iowa, Indiana, and Nebraska, more than $733 million last year.

A two-decade-old free trade deal between the two countries, longtime drug war partners, has fueled the U.S. export boom. The trade dispute process in the accord may allow Trump’s tariffs.

Colombia was the U.S.’s fourth-largest crude oil supplier last year, shipping 209,000 barrels per day. However, rising domestic production has reduced the U.S.’s dependency on foreign oil. The U.S. imports the most fresh cut flowers from South America.

— USIP and Associated Press