Trump made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social. He said that the decision of Colombian President Gustavo Petro 'jeopardised' national security in the US
Donald Trump. Pic/AFP
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he was ordering tariffs, visa restrictions and other retaliatory measures to be taken against Colombia after its government rejected two flights carrying migrants.
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Trump made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social. He said that the decision of Colombian President Gustavo Petro 'jeopardised' national security in the US.
'These measures are just the beginning,' Trump wrote. 'We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States.'
Earlier Sunday, Petro announced that his government won't accept flights carrying migrants deported from the US until the Trump administration creates a protocol that treats them with 'dignity'.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday ordered an increase of import tariffs on U.S. goods in retaliation to a similar order announced hours earlier by President Donald Trump.
Petro in a post on X said he had ordered Colombia's "foreign trade minister to raise import tariffs from the US by 25%."
Earlier Sunday, Petro said his government would not accept flights carrying migrants deported from the US until the Trump administration creates a protocol that treats them with "dignity." Petro made the announcement in two X posts, one of which included a news video of migrants reportedly deported to Brazil walking on a tarmac with restraints on their hands and feet.
"A migrant is not a criminal and must be treated with the dignity that a human being deserves," Petro said. "That is why I returned the US military planes that were carrying Colombian migrants... In civilian planes, without being treated like criminals, we will receive our fellow citizens."
Colombia accepted 475 deportation flights from the United States from 2020 to 2024, fifth behind Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador, according to Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks flight data. It accepted 124 deportation flights in 2024.
Last year, Colombia and other countries began accepting US-funded deportation flights from Panama.
The US government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press regarding aircraft and protocols used in deportations to Colombia.
(With inputs from AP and PTI)
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