Photo: Tribune News Service
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has agreed to accept deportation flights from the United States after President Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs and other penalties. The agreement, announced Sunday (January 26), came after Colombia initially blocked two U.S. military planes carrying deportees from landing.
President Petro's decision to accept "all of President Trump's terms" includes the unrestricted acceptance of Colombian migrants deported from the U.S. According to CNN, Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo stated that deportation flights had resumed and that Colombia would ensure decent conditions for returning citizens.
The White House had threatened tariffs on Colombian imports, visa sanctions, and customs inspections if Colombia failed to comply with the agreement. The situation escalated when President Petro blocked the deportation flights, accusing the U.S. of treating Colombian migrants like criminals. In response, President Trump ordered tariffs on Colombian goods, a travel ban for Colombian citizens, and the revocation of visas for Colombian officials in the U.S.
The agreement averted a potential trade war that could have affected coffee prices and impacted Colombian workers.
The U.S. has been using military aircraft to return recent border crossers to their countries of origin, with flights expected to continue daily. The White House has also requested Mexico's assistance in repatriating its nationals via land ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border.