Colombian President Gustavo Petro addressed the media in Bogota on February 8, 2024, following discussions with the United Nations Security Council. His remarks came amidst rising tensions between the U.S. and Colombia over immigration issues.
During the weekend, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to impose broad sanctions and tariffs against Colombia. This decision followed Colombia’s refusal to allow two U.S. military planes carrying deported migrants to land—part of the U.S.’s recent clampdown on immigration.
Colombia, which ranks as the third largest U.S. trading partner in Latin America, didn’t hesitate to fight back, threatening a hefty 50% tariff on American imports. Trump’s move seemed designed to set an example and underscore a tougher U.S. foreign policy approach, demonstrating his readiness to pressure other nations into compliance.
Trump publicized on Truth Social that Colombia’s defiance under President Petro posed a risk to U.S. security. His countermeasures include a 25% tariff on Colombian imports, escalating to 50% within a week, alongside a travel ban and visa cancellations for Colombian officials. Additionally, the U.S. would enforce emergency financial and banking sanctions.
Further intensifying the measures, Trump signaled that border inspections for Colombians, both people and products, would be ramped up. “These steps are just the start,” he asserted, emphasizing that the U.S. wouldn’t overlook Colombia’s failure to meet its legal obligations to accept deported migrants.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio supported the stance, saying that Petro initially sanctioned these deportation flights but revoked his approval once the planes were airborne. An anonymous U.S. official confirmed that the military planes set off from California when Colombia suddenly rescinded their landing authorization.
In a bold move upon taking office, the U.S. president declared illegal immigration a national crisis, deploying military resources for border patrol, limiting asylum appeals, and restricting citizenship for U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants. Petro criticized these actions, arguing that migrants shouldn’t be equated with criminals. Using social media platform X, Petro expressed openness to receiving deported Colombians, albeit on civilian flights. He highlighted that America also has citizens living in Colombia without legal status but stated Colombia would not retaliate with raids.
Furthermore, Mexico recently denied a similar U.S. request to land a military aircraft with migrants, though Trump hasn’t taken action against Mexico yet. However, he did mention potential 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico starting February 1.
Colombia remains a critical U.S. commerce partner, with bilateral trade amounting to $33.8 billion in 2023 as reported by U.S. Census Bureau, even posting a rare U.S. trade surplus of $1.6 billion. The primary imports from Colombia included crude oil, gold, coffee, and flowers. Sergio Guzman from Colombia Risk Analysis commented on Petro’s miscalculation, noting the potential economic damage of financial sanctions and the shift in U.S. priorities from strategic ally to cautionary tale.
Alejo Czerwonko of UBS Global Wealth Management remarked on Colombia’s heavy reliance on U.S. trade, accounting for a significant 4% of its GDP. With a rocky start in the Petro-Trump dynamic, challenges could lie ahead, Czerwonko warned.
Petro’s response reflects growing dissatisfaction in Latin America as the U.S. administration mobilizes for widespread deportations. Brazil also reacted, condemning the treatment of handcuffed Brazilian deportees on a recent flight. After the plane, carrying 88 Brazilians and some U.S. agents, was rerouted due to technical difficulties, Brazilian officials stepped in, ordering the removal of handcuffs and arranging an Air Force plane for the final leg of their journey.
The charter flight to Brazil marked the second deportation of its kind this year from the U.S., and the first since Trump assumed office. Efforts to seek comments from U.S. government agencies like the State Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement were unanswered.
The U.S. military’s involvement in deportation queues is part of the broader response to Trump’s emergency immigration directive. Historically, military planes have facilitated relocations, reminiscent of the Afghan withdrawal in 2021. This, however, marks a notable shift with such operations now involving deportations, including recent flights to Guatemala carrying deported migrants.
