Colombia refused to accept American military planes that deported immigrants, setting up a furious reaction of President Trump, who announced a number of tariffs and sanctions on Sunday, which had been aiming to Earth, which has long been the top American alliance in Latin America.
The United States will immediately impose 25 percent of Tariffs on all Colombian imports and will collect them at 50 percent in one week, Mr. Trump said On social media.
Trump’s administration will also “fully impose” banking and financial sanctions against Colombia, and will apply a ban on travel and revoke visits to Colombian government officials, the president said.
The Colombian Leftist President, Gustavo Petro, also returned to Mr. Trump. In one post on social media, he announced the retail retailers 25 percent about American imports to Colombia and in another, more The post said that the tariffs would hit 50 percent.
Immediately addressing Mr. Trump, Mr. Petro also questioned whether the US president was trying to overthrow him.
“You don’t like our freedom, okay,” Mr. Petro said. “I don’t handle white enslavers.”
The quarrel reflects that Mr. Trump gives an example from Colombia as a country around the world Get to prepare for the mass deportations of the unauthorized immigrants he promised.
“This looks like a rather bold and bold escalation on both sides,” said Will Freeman, an associate for Latin America Studies in the Foreign Relations Council, citing the economic reliance of Colombia to the United States, which is still the largest trade in South America’s partner. and while China was getting into.
“But equally, Trump threatened Colombia in this way quite brave,” Mr. Freeman added. “This is because Colombia remains a historically longest position, the deepest, strategic ally in the region.”
Mr. Trump signed an executive command last week, which approved the US army to help secure the border, and the Ministry of Defense said he would use military aircraft to deport people holding in the US custody along the southern border.
Mr. Petro said earlier on Sunday in a series of social media places This Colombia would not accept flights of military deportations from the United States until Trump’s administration provided the process of treating Colombian migrants with “dignity and respect”.
Mr. Petro also said that Colombia had already distracted military planes that carried Colombian deportitions. While other Latin America countries have expressed concern about Mr. Trump’s deportation plans, Colombia seems to be among the first to explicitly refuse to cooperate.
“I cannot make migrants stay in a country that does not want them,” Mr. Petro wrote, “but if that country sent them back, it should be with dignity and respect for them and our country.” He said he was still open to receiving deported on not -Lam flights.
“The Colombian President Petro approved the flights and provided all the necessary approval, then canceled his approval when the aircraft were in the air,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio UAA statement.
Mr. Petra’s office said in a statement that the presidential plane would be available to transport migrants who were supposed to arrive in military planes. Representatives of the Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to the commentary requests.
It seems that the immediate power with flights of deportations is that US military planes have transported unfathomable migrants, an American military official said on Sunday.
Two US aircraft denied the landing in Colombia were the C-17 air plane. One turned and returned to San Diego; The other flew back to Texas.
If migrants were transferred to a commercial or charter flight, at least until diplomatic approval was resolved for government planes, the question could be resolved, said the military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters.
The remarks of President Petro followed in response to the post about the treatment of Brazilian deported. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs complained about “humiliating treatment“From their citizens after arrived in the village in Lisice in the village, and some complained about mistreatment after they did not get water or were allowed to bathe during flight.
Ever since he assumed his post last Monday, Mr Trump has issued a number of executive orders and made other moves aimed at laying the foundation for deporting a huge number of migrants.
In his mission on social media, Mr. Trump called Mr. Petro, a former left -wing guerrilla guerrile, “socialist”, a mandate Mr. Petro has No problem in using Describe himself and claimed that Mr. Petro was “very unpopular.” Mr. Petra’s approval ratings are about 34 percent, as it was measured by scandals with corruption and a re -rise in the struggle among armed groups.
In order to justify their measures that were directed at Colombia, Mr. Trump also claimed that military deportation flights refused to land the landing of Mr. Petro included a “large number of illegal criminals” and that the United States sought “the return of the criminals forced by United states.”
US tariffs could cause a significant blow to Colombia’s economy. The United States is the largest commercial partner in Colombia, with a top Colombian export to the US market, including raw oil, coffee and cut flowers.
The trade between the two countries was $ 53.5 billion at the age of 2022, and the United States had a $ 3.9 billion trade that year. It’s Colombia largest South American market of US agricultural products, absorbing imports of American pork, dairy products, alcoholic beverages and dog and cat food.
Mr. Petro also paid attention to Americans living in Colombia, saying that more than 15,000 Americans lived in a country without approval and invited them to “regulate” their immigration status.
Colombia is not among countries with the largest unauthorized immigrant population in the United States, lagging far behind Mexico, El Salvador, India, Guatemala and Honduras. In 2022, the Mexicans remained the most common nationality among unauthorized immigrants in the United States, with about 4 million, while Colombia had about 190,000, showing the latest data available at the Pew Research Center.
Colombia has traditionally been a close American ally, although there have recently been differences in connection with the policies of counter -carnotics. While Mr. Petro criticized the United States more than past presidents, he continued to cooperate with the United States and regularly accept flights of deportations, said Sergio Guzmán, a Colombian political analyst.
That’s what “this new approach makes so surprising,” he added.
Mr. Petro, who entered into office in 2022, is a Colombian first leftist president, and a longtime leader in Colombian politics is known for his bull, combat views, especially when it comes to human rights defense.
A former rebel who later demobilized and became a senator, his critics say that he sometimes seems sharply and refuses to listen to the advisers.
He has long been critical of the enormous power that the United States hold in the world, especially the economic imbalance between the USA other nations.
Robert G. Salesses, a law of the Minister of Defense, said last week in a statement that the army would provide aircraft to support flights to deportation sent by the US Ministry of Homeland Security, which oversee Ice.
Trump’s administration sends military planes with the usual flights that manages ICE, which means that they do not replace typical flights that land several times a week in countries across the region, and Mr. Petro mentioned in his online posts on Sunday as “civilian flights”.
The new aircraft sent by the army can depart from the United States only if they have been admitted to the nation approved.
It is unclear which countries could agree to receive military planes that carry deported.
Early on Friday, Guatemala received two US air force The Jets that transported a total of about 160 deported, making it one of the first countries to receive such flights publicly.
Officers in Mexico, the source of the largest number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States, said they remained open to receiving deported citizens and routine deportations took place in Mexican cities along US borders.
However, Mexican authorities have not revealed whether they plan to accept military flights or receive deported migrants from other countries, as Mexico has sometimes worked in the past.
On Friday, the NBC reported that Mexico refused to approve the military plane transporting deportation from the USA, an account that could not be confirmed on its own.
Honduras, who like Colombia pushed back Trump’s plans for mass deportations said it was open to receiving military flights.
Eric Schmitt Contribution to Washington Reporting, Jack Nicas From Rio de Janeiro, Julie Turkewitz From Bogota, i Jody García From the town of Guatemale, Guatemala.
