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President Donald Trump on Sunday announced retaliatory tariffs against Colombia after the country blocked a U.S. military repatriation plane from landing. It was the first example of President Trump using economic pressure to force another country to comply with a mass deportation plan since taking office last week.
Hours after Trump's announcement, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that he had ordered the Commerce Department to increase tariffs on U.S. imports by 25%. Before announcing the 25% tariffs, Petro wrote in a lengthy post about I heard you are doing the same.” About US products.
Earlier, Petro said it had intercepted two US military planes carrying migrants heading to the country and called on the US to establish better procedures for handling migrants. Petro also left the door open to receiving repatriated migrants traveling on commercial flights.
Following the initials of Peter Announcement criticizes President Trump on social media But it also announced a series of new sanctions and policies targeting Colombia, including an “emergency 25% tariff” on all imports from the country, set to rise to 50% within a week. ), “travel bans” and visa cancellations for Colombian nationals. For U.S. Colombian officials and “all allies and supporters.”
“These steps are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian government to violate its legal obligations regarding the admission and return of criminals forcibly brought to the United States!” Trump told Truth Social. I wrote it.
Petro reacted negatively to Trump's announcement, writing on social media: “Mr. Trump, I don't really like traveling to the US. It's kind of boring.” He went on to criticize President Trump's policies and character, even suggesting that the US president considers me “an inferior race, that I'm not, and I'm not Colombian.”
The U.S. Embassy in Bogota has suspended visa processing in retaliation for Colombia's refusal to accept repatriation flights, the State Department said in a statement Sunday night. CNN previously reported on the suspension of visa processing. The suspension applies to immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, which typically number in the thousands each day. Secretary Rubio also approved “travel sanctions against individuals and their families responsible for disrupting U.S. repatriation flight operations,” the statement said.
The issuance of visa restrictions on individuals from allied countries is an unusual step, as it is typically limited to adversaries or individuals who have committed human rights violations. Colombia is a major non-NATO ally of the United States. It is unclear how many Colombian officials the United States has placed visa restrictions on.
State Department officials said U.S. citizen services will continue as usual. They stressed that the situation is fluid.
Rubio said in an earlier statement on Sunday that Colombian authorities had approved two military flights to bring migrants to Colombia, then rescinded the approval midway through. CNN earlier reported that Colombian authorities had approved the flight based on a review of documents.
“President Petro of Colombia had authorized the flight and issued all the necessary permits, but while the plane was in flight he revoked that permit.As today's action shows, we will eradicate illegal immigration and We remain steadfast in our commitment to strengthening America's border security,” Rubio said.
Following the Secretary of State's statement, Petro told It cannot be under the command of
CNN previously reported that Trump administration officials were surprised and dissatisfied with Petro's comment that he was blocking U.S. deportation flights from entering the country. Colombian government officials were also surprised by Petro's post.
CNN has reached out to the Colombian government for comment.
President Trump's response to Colombia's refusal to return its nationals marked his first major clash with another country over immigration since the start of his second term.
“You can't go out and openly defy us like that.” A Trump administration official told CNN. “We are going to let the world know that we cannot escape dishonest and deceitful behavior.”
Late Sunday, Petro called on U.S. citizens living in Colombia illegally to “regularize” their stay, without providing further details. “Any American citizen who wishes can stay in Colombia. I believe in human freedom,” he wrote to X, adding: ” Petro also said he provided the presidential plane to assist deportees from the United States who were scheduled to enter the country on Sunday morning.
The United States last week began using military aircraft to transport people who recently crossed the border back to their countries of origin. On Thursday, the United States used military aircraft to return migrants to Guatemala.
Tom Homan, the White House's border security chief, said Sunday that he expects military flights to transport deported migrants to be operated daily as part of a message to other countries.
The Pentagon said: “We have supported the administration in the past, but not at this level. So it's a force multiplier and it sends a strong signal to the world. Our borders are… It was shut down,” Homan told ABC News.
The U.S. has also asked Mexico for help repatriating its citizens through land ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, and Mexico appears to have turned back a military plane headed to the country last week.
Brazil on Sunday joined Colombia in condemning the Trump administration's handling of deported migrants on deportation flights, calling the treatment of Brazilians who arrived in the country on Friday “degrading.”
Brazilian authorities say a US flight bound for Belo Horizonte, Brazil, landed in Manaus due to a “technical error” and found 88 deportees handcuffed on board. Brazilian authorities did not allow the plane to continue, citing “the poor condition of the aircraft, including the use of handcuffs and chains, and a malfunctioning air conditioning system,” and the migrants were transported to Manaus on Brazilian Airlines. Forced flight.
Colombia is not a major trading partner with the United States, shipping about $14 billion worth of goods in 2023, according to the latest full-year data from trade data authority Comtrade. Most of Colombia's exports to the United States were minerals, oil, metals, and coffee.
Coffee prices have skyrocketed over the past year, and the Trump administration's actions could ultimately make coffee even more expensive for U.S. consumers. This is because importers often pay customs duties and pass on the increased prices to consumers.
Tariffs can be an effective bargaining tool, but economists generally dislike them because they believe they can cause inflation and spark trade wars, pushing prices even higher. However, that is not a universally accepted view. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon recently told CNBC that if tariffs serve national security and cause some inflation, people should “get over it.” Ta.
But President Trump has vowed to impose full tariffs as early as this week on products that other countries don't manufacture in the United States. These tariffs could dramatically increase prices for Americans.
Economic and foreign policy analysts have called for caution in Colombia, which is embroiled in a diplomatic feud with the United States over expulsion flights.
A think tank made up of former foreign ministers and analysts called on the Colombian government to maintain its relationship with the United States through dialogue and mutual respect.
“The Colombian Council for International Relations (CORI) calls on the national government to carry out its foreign policy with responsibility, pragmatism and strategy. … There is no room for improvisation in international relations,” the group said in a statement. Ta.
The group also said that migration flows need to be handled in accordance with bilateral agreements, calling for 124 migrants from the United States to Colombia in 2024 with the approval of both governments in what it called a “historic and permanent mechanism.” He pointed out that forced deportation flights were carried out.
CORI added that both countries must avoid commercial retaliation, which it said would only harm Colombia.
Colombo American Chamber of Commerce President Maria Claudia Lacouture echoed these sentiments in a post about X, saying: ”
He warned that if the United States were to impose a 25% tariff on Colombian products, the impact would be immediate and devastating.
“For coffee alone, more than 500,000 families depend on this sector. In floriculture, thousands of single mothers will lose their livelihoods. And we cannot continue to add to the affected sectors. ” she said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN's David Goldman said: Omar Fajardo, Duarte Mendonça, Julia Vargas Jones, Jennifer Hansler and gabriella frias contributed to this report.
