Highlights

  • Colombia agrees to US deportation flights
  • Trump threatens tariffs, visa revocations
  • Latin America criticizes harsh deportations

Latest news

North hemisphere to witness partial solar eclipse: March 29, 2025

North hemisphere to witness partial solar eclipse: March 29, 2025

Over 50 crore devotees attend Maha Kumbh dip

Over 50 crore devotees attend Maha Kumbh dip

Kapil Dev raises concerns over player injuries amid Cricket demands

Kapil Dev raises concerns over player injuries amid Cricket demands

BCCI sets new luggage rules after excessive baggage on Australia tour

BCCI sets new luggage rules after excessive baggage on Australia tour

PM Modi and Elon Musk discuss space and tech in Washington

PM Modi and Elon Musk discuss space and tech in Washington

Valentine's day clashes: fringe groups disrupt celebrations in India

Valentine's day clashes: fringe groups disrupt celebrations in India

Eric Schmidt warns of AI misuse by rogue states posing global threat

Eric Schmidt warns of AI misuse by rogue states posing global threat

Ludhiana to undergo major transformation with Rs. 930 Crore infrastructure boost under CM Bhagwant Mann’s

Ludhiana to undergo major transformation with Rs. 930 Crore infrastructure boost under CM Bhagwant Mann’s

Colombia caves on deportations after Trump threats

Colombia agrees to accept deported citizens on US military flights following President Trump's tariff threats, sparking criticism across Latin America over harsh deportation practices.

Colombia caves on deportations after Trump threats

Colombia on Sunday backed down and agreed to accept deported citizens sent on US military aircraft, hours after President Donald Trump threatened painful tariffs to punish the defiance to his mass deportation plans.

Colombia's leftist president, Gustavo Petro, had earlier said he would only take back citizens "with dignity," such as on civilian planes, and had turned back two US military aircraft with repatriated Colombians.

Trump, less than a week back in office, responded furiously and threatened sanctions of 25 percent that would quickly scale up to 50 percent against Latin America's fourth largest economy.

Petro initially sought to hit back and impose his own tariffs on US products, but by the end of the volatile Sunday he had backed down.

Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo told a late-night news conference that his country had "overcome the impasse" and would accept returned citizens.

A White House statement said that Colombia has agreed to "unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on US military aircraft, without limitation or delay."

"Today's events make clear to the world that America is respected again," it said.

"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 said he would suspend implementation of the tariffs.

It had been unclear even earlier how quickly Trump could impose tariffs on Colombia, historically one of Washington's closest allies in Latin America, which enjoys a free-trade agreement with the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose wife is Colombian-American, suspended issuance of visas at the US embassy in Bogota and said visas would be revoked to Colombian government officials and their immediate family members.

The White House said the visa measures would stay in place until the first planeload of deportees returns.

Trump also vowed to subject Colombians to greater scrutiny at US airports.


- Concerns over treatment -

Trump -- who during his campaign said that immigrants were "poisoning the blood" of the United States -- took office with promises to round up and swiftly deport undocumented people.

While some countries including Guatemala have accepted military deportation flights, Trump had faced resistance from Petro, a former guerrilla elected in 2022 as Colombia's first left-wing leader.

"The United States cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I forbid entry to our territory to US planes carrying Colombian migrants," Petro wrote earlier on X.

The Colombian government earlier said it was instead ready to send its presidential plane to the United States to transport the migrants "with dignity."

Petro also said there were 15,600 undocumented Americans living in his country and asked them to "regularize their situation," while ruling out raids to arrest and deport them.

Petro's initial hard-ball tactics infuriated his many critics in the historic US ally.

Former right-wing president Ivan Duque accused Petro of "an act of tremendous irresponsibility" for refusing what he called Colombia's "moral duty" to take back illegal migrants and warned US sanctions would take an "enormous" toll.


- 'Tied hands and feet' -

Trump's deportation threats have put him on a potential collision course with governments in Latin America, the original home of most of the United States' estimated 11 million undocumented migrants.

Brazil, which is also led by a left-wing president, voiced outrage over treatment by the Trump administration of dozens of Brazilian migrants deported back to their country on Friday.

The migrants, who were deported under a bilateral agreement predating Trump's return, were handcuffed on the flight, in what Brazil called "flagrant disregard" for their basic rights.

Edgar Da Silva Moura, a 31-year-old computer technician who was among the 88 deported migrants, told AFP: "On the plane they didn't give us water, we were tied hands and feet, they wouldn't even let us go to the bathroom."

"It was very hot, some people fainted."

The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, called for an urgent meeting of leaders from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to take place Thursday in Tegucigalpa to discuss migration following the latest US moves.

While previous US administrations also routinely carried out deportations, the Trump administration has begun using military aircraft, with at least one landing in Guatemala this week.

ADVERTISEMENT

Up Next

Colombia caves on deportations after Trump threats

Colombia caves on deportations after Trump threats

PM Modi and Elon Musk discuss space and tech in Washington

PM Modi and Elon Musk discuss space and tech in Washington

Russian drone hits Chernobyl’s new safe confinement

Russian drone hits Chernobyl’s new safe confinement

U.S. to extradite Tahawwur Rana to India for 2008 Mumbai attacks

U.S. to extradite Tahawwur Rana to India for 2008 Mumbai attacks

PM Modi and President Trump strengthen US-India ties with COMPACT initiative

PM Modi and President Trump strengthen US-India ties with COMPACT initiative

Hamas announces release of Three captives amid ceasefire uncertainty

Hamas announces release of Three captives amid ceasefire uncertainty

ADVERTISEMENT

editorji-whatsApp

More videos

Elon Musk’s son X AE A-XII meets Trump

Elon Musk’s son X AE A-XII meets Trump

JPMorgan and Meta navigate job cuts amid strategic shifts

JPMorgan and Meta navigate job cuts amid strategic shifts

PM Modi's US visit: Where is he staying? Everything you need to know about Blair House

PM Modi's US visit: Where is he staying? Everything you need to know about Blair House

Elon Musk retracts Hamas condom claim in White House

Elon Musk retracts Hamas condom claim in White House

U.S. defense shift: allies must lead in Ukraine defense

U.S. defense shift: allies must lead in Ukraine defense

US teacher Marc Fogel released from Russian custody

US teacher Marc Fogel released from Russian custody

PM Modi to hold joint press conference with Trump

PM Modi to hold joint press conference with Trump

PM Modi, Prez Macron jointly inaugurate India's new consulate in France's Marseille

PM Modi, Prez Macron jointly inaugurate India's new consulate in France's Marseille

World’s most corrupt countries ranked, India’s position revealed

World’s most corrupt countries ranked, India’s position revealed

Japan stuns world, creates advanced weapon system

Japan stuns world, creates advanced weapon system

Editorji Technologies Pvt. Ltd. © 2022 All Rights Reserved.