On Sunday 26/01/2025, President Donald Trump announced a series of retaliatory measures against Colombia following the country’s refusal to accept two U.S. military deportation flights carrying Colombian nationals. The flights, which had departed from California, were grounded after Colombian President Gustavo Petro revoked diplomatic clearance, citing the need to prioritize “dignified conditions” for the migrants being deported.
Trump expressed strong disapproval of the move, accusing Colombia of violating its legal obligations and jeopardizing U.S. national security. He vowed to impose sweeping sanctions, including 25% tariffs on Colombian imports, escalating to 50% within a week. Additional measures include visa sanctions on Colombian government officials and their allies, enhanced customs inspections, and financial penalties.
The deportation flights, which typically carry around 80 passengers each, had been cleared for landing but were halted last minute by Colombia’s government. In response, President Petro’s office stated that the country was committed to returning its nationals in a manner that respected their dignity, offering civilian flights instead of military ones. The government emphasized that the treatment of its citizens would not involve the “degrading” conditions associated with military repatriation flights.
The dispute comes after a similar incident in Mexico, where two U.S. deportation flights were temporarily blocked the previous week, sparking tensions with the U.S. government. Both incidents highlight ongoing concerns from Latin American countries about the treatment of migrants being deported from the U.S. Critics argue that deportation methods, especially involving military aircraft, violate the rights and dignity of migrants.
The U.S. continues to ramp up its immigration enforcement under the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on illegal immigration, which includes deploying additional troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S. Trade Representative reported that in 2022, trade between the U.S. and Colombia totaled $53.5 billion, with U.S. imports from Colombia largely consisting of oils, minerals, and agricultural products.
While Colombia’s stance has drawn ire from U.S. officials, it aligns with growing regional opposition to the U.S.’s handling of deportations and immigration enforcement. Colombia’s position, along with Mexico and Brazil’s earlier criticisms, reflects broader concerns about how migrants are treated during the deportation process and the use of military aircraft for such operations.
The deportation process and implementation is also seen as contravening immigration/ migration laws and not respecting the human rights of those who are the subject of the deportation, it remains to be seen what the response and actions from international bodies pertaining to immigrants and migrations and human right organizations like International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and Amnesty International would be and if there is are grounds for further advocating for all presently involved and who might be involved at a later date.
Sources:
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Colombian Government Statement
- U.S. Trade Representative Report on U.S.-Colombia Trade
Image by The U.S. National Archives on getarchive.net (public domain).
