Colombian President decided on Sunday (January 26) to provide a presidential plane to bring back the immigrants who were deported by the United States that were not allowed to enter the country on that morning. Earlier that day, US President Trump stated that he would implement comprehensive retaliatory measures against Colombia, including tariffs and sanctions, because the Latin American country rejected two US military aircraft carrying immigrants from entering its airspace.
According to Fox News, the Colombian government stated that the presidential plane would help facilitate the return of illegal immigrants “with dignity.”
A statement said, “Under the direction of President Gustavo Petro, the Colombian government has arranged for the presidential plane to allow our compatriots who were scheduled to arrive on a deportation flight this morning to return home with dignity.”
“This measure is in response to the government’s commitment to ensuring decent conditions,” the statement continued.
According to Reuters, earlier that day, Trump stated that President Petro’s refusal to allow the aircraft to land endangered US national security, prompting him to instruct the US government to take retaliatory actions.
These measures include imposing a 25% emergency tariff on all Colombian goods entering the US, which will increase to 50% within a week; imposing travel bans and revoking visas for Colombian government officials and their allies; and implementing comprehensive emergency sanctions in the financial, banking, and economic sectors.
Trump also stated that he would instruct for enhanced border inspections on Colombian citizens and goods.
On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote, “These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian government to violate its legal obligations regarding receiving and deporting criminals who forcefully entered the US!”
Trump declared the issue of illegal immigration a national emergency and has been implementing extensive crackdowns since taking office on Monday, instructing the US military to help secure the border, issuing wide-ranging asylum bans, and taking steps to restrict citizenship for babies born on US soil.
Colombia becomes the second Latin American country to refuse to use US military planes for immigrant deportations.
Petro condemned this action, expressing on the social media platform X that Colombia will welcome deported immigrants to return home on commercial flights but emphasizing that they should be treated with dignity and respect.
Petro wrote, “The US cannot treat Colombian immigrants as criminals.” He also pointed out that there are 15,660 Americans in Colombia without proper immigration status.
Last week, Mexico also rejected a request to land a US military plane carrying immigrants.
While Trump has not taken similar punitive actions against Mexico, the US’s biggest trading partner, he indicated that he is considering imposing a 25% tariff on goods imported from Canada and Mexico starting from February 1 to address the issues of illegal immigration and fentanyl crossing the border.
The US State Department stated that the United States is Colombia’s largest trading and investment partner, while Colombia is the US’s third-largest trading partner in Latin America.