Colombia backed down on Sunday and agreed to accept deported individuals flown aboard US military planes, hours after President Donald Trump promised severe penalties to punish those who defied his mass deportation plans.
Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s Marxist president, had previously stated that he would only return individuals “with dignity,” such as on commercial flights, and had sent back two US military airplanes carrying returning Colombians.
Trump, who had been in office for less than a week, reacted angrily, threatening 25% sanctions that would swiftly escalate to 50% against Latin America’s fourth biggest economy.
Petro originally tried to retaliate by imposing duties on US imports, but by the end of the turbulent Sunday, he had backed down.
Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo announced at a late-night press conference that his country had “overcome the impasse” and would receive repatriated people.
According to a White House statement, Colombia has committed to “unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including those on US military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”
“Today’s events make clear to the world that America is respected again,” according to the statement.
“President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation’s sovereignty, and he expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States.”
Trump stated that he will postpone the tariffs.
Even earlier, it was uncertain how swiftly Trump might apply duties on Colombia, which has long been one of Washington’s closest friends in Latin America and has a free-trade pact with the US.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose wife is Colombian-American, froze visa issuance at the US Embassy in Bogota and said that visas will be canceled for Colombian government leaders and their immediate family members.
The White House said the visa procedures will remain in place until the first planeload, of deportees returns. Trump also vowed to subject Colombians to greater scrutiny at US airports.
