washington — President Trump will delay imposing higher tariffs on Colombia after the Colombian government agreed to accept deported immigrants being repatriated by military plane, the White House said Sunday night.
Earlier on Sunday, President Trump pledged swift and punitive retaliation after the Colombian government blocked the arrival of terrorists over the weekend. deportation flights In the United States, the Trump administration’s efforts to use it were opposed. Military aircraft for deporting migrants.
President Trump posted on social media on Sunday that his administration would take a number of actions against Colombia, including a 25% tariff on all goods entering the United States from Colombia (which he said would rise to 50% a week later). .
He also announced a travel ban and “immediate visa cancellation” for Colombian government officials and “allied countries,” visa sanctions on Colombian authorities and their relatives, and increased customs inspections of Colombian travelers and cargo.
“These actions are just the beginning,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “We will not allow the Colombian government to violate its legal obligations regarding the reception and repatriation of criminals forced into the United States!”
But White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said in a statement late that night that “the government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including accepting unrestricted access to all illegal immigrants returning from the United States, including U.S. military personnel.” “The fully completed IEEPA Tariffs and Sanctions Draft under this Agreement is withheld and will not be signed unless Colombia complies with this Agreement.”
“The visa sanctions issued by the Department of State and the enhanced investigations by Customs and Border Protection will remain in effect until the first flight of Colombian deportees is successfully repatriated,” Levitt said in a statement.
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the deadlock with the United States has been overcome” and that “in the coming hours” Colombia’s foreign minister and ambassador will visit Washington, D.C. to continue discussions on the agreement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would “continue to receive Colombians returning as deportees and guarantee them dignified conditions as citizens with rights.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not mention the US military plane in its statement but said the Colombian presidential plane would be used to bring home migrants who were scheduled to be deported on Sunday morning.
A senior Trump administration official previously told CBS News that using the presidential plane alone would not be enough to block the president’s proposed tariffs and sanctions.
Earlier Sunday, a senior administration official said Trump’s actions amounted to a “clear message” that countries “have an obligation to accept repatriation flights.”
Ahead of the deal announced Sunday night, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on social media: “Your blockade does not scare me,” and said Colombia would respond to the tariff increase with a 50% tariff on U.S. goods. Regarding the travel ban, Petro said, “I don’t really like traveling to the United States. I find it a bit boring.”
Petro also predicted that the United States “might attempt a coup with economic power and arrogance, just as it did with Allende.” Mr. President, if you overthrow me, America and humanity will respond, Petro wrote.
“It is Colombia’s responsibility to seriously and quickly bring back its citizens who are in the United States illegally,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
“President Petro Colombia approved the flight, provided all necessary approvals, and then revoked the approval once the plane took off,” Rubio said. “As today’s actions demonstrate, we remain steadfast in our commitment to end illegal immigration and strengthen America’s border security.”
Late Sunday, the State Department confirmed that Rubio had “ordered the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Bogota to suspend visa issuance.”
“Secretary Rubio is now authorizing travel sanctions against individuals and their families who disrupt U.S. repatriation flight operations,” the State Department said. “Actions will continue until Colombia meets its obligation to accommodate the return of its citizens. The United States will not back down in defending its national security interests.”
A U.S. official told CBS News that U.S. Customs and Border Protection was already enforcing a travel ban on Colombian government officials and diplomats traveling on A and G visas starting Sunday night. The agency has also begun strengthening customs inspections of cargo departing from Colombia, the official added. CBP later confirmed these actions in a public statement.
Petro said Sunday morning that he had refused a deportation flight because the deportees were being transported on military planes, arguing that such a move treats immigrants as criminals.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
“The United States must establish protocols for the dignified treatment of immigrants before accepting them,” Petro wrote on social media. He added that deportation flights would be permitted as long as they were flown on commercial aircraft.
A U.S. official told CBS on Sunday that the Colombian immigrants who were scheduled to be deported on the plane would return to the U.S. and be detained by DHS until a new agreement was reached.
Two U.S. officials told CBS News that two Pentagon planes carrying deported immigrants were expected to land in Colombia on Sunday after departing the San Diego area near the southern border. But the plan was scrapped overnight.
One U.S. official said the plan was to deport about 80 Colombian immigrants per military plane.
Colombia’s decision to block U.S. deportation flights over the weekend was an early diplomatic setback as it laid the groundwork for the Trump administration’s promised campaign of mass deportations and crackdown on illegal immigration.
As part of the crackdown, President Trump declared a national emergency and deployed an additional 1,500 Army and Marine troops to the southern border to significantly increase the U.S. military’s role in immigration enforcement. Troops have been assigned to build border barriers and support Customs and Border Protection operational capabilities. Long-standing legal restrictions have prohibited the use of military personnel to enforce civil law, including U.S. immigration laws.
Earlier this week, the government used military aircraft to deport Guatemalan migrants who had crossed the southern border illegally back to Guatemala, touting the move as the start of a large-scale deportation effort.
contributed to this report.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez
