President Trump fumed on Sunday after Colombia turned back two US military flights carrying deported migrants — vowing to impose sanctions and an “emergency 25% tariff” on the South American country.
“I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia,” Trump wrote Sunday.
“This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people,” he said, adding that Petro’s decision has “jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States.”
In response, the president said he would enacted the “emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States,” adding that it would be raised to 50% in a week.
He also called for a travel ban, visa revocations on Colombian government officials, visa sanctions on party members and government supporters, enhanced customs and border protection inspections of any Colombian national and banking and financial sanctions.
“These measures are just the beginning,” Trump said. “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!”
The angry post came after Petro blocked the military jets’ arrival.
In a social media post, Colombian President Gustavo Petro didn’t slam the door on deportation flights.
Instead, he demanded the US use civilian planes and create better protocols for how it treats deportees.
Colombian migrants can’t stay in a country that doesn’t want them, he conceded.
But they must be returned “with dignity and respect for them and for our country,” he said.
“We will receive our fellow citizens on civilian planes, without treating them like criminals.”
