Chained migrants taken into a US military plane. Photo: X/@PressSec.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—The president of the United States, Donald Trump, ordered a series of sanctions against the government of Colombia, in retaliation against Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s refusal to allow the entry of US planes with migrants due to the dehumanizing manner in which they had been deported.
“Petro’s refusal to allow these flights has endangered the National Security and Public Safety of the United States,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social account.
The sanctions against Colombia, declared on Sunday, January 26, include:
- 25% tariffs on all goods entering the United States. Effective within a week, the 25% tariffs will rise to 50%.
- A travel ban and immediate visa revocations for Colombian government officials and all allies and supporters.
- Visa sanctions for all party members, family members and supporters of the Colombian government.
- Enhanced Customs and Border Protection inspections of all Colombian citizens and cargo for national security reasons.
- IEEPA Treasury, Banking and Financial Sanctions will be imposed in full.
“These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian government to violate its legal obligations regarding the acceptance and return of the criminals it forced into the United States!” Trump threatened.
In response to these statements by the US president, President Petro stated, “We have never refused to receive migrants and we have tried to stop migration… But do not demand that I receive those deported from the US, handcuffed and on a military plane. We are not anyone’s colony.”
Nosotros nunca nos hemos negado a recibir migrantes y hemos procurado detener la migración. El estúpido bloqueo a Venezuela fue el que desencadenó millones de personas migrantes en los EEUU. Pero no me exijan recibir los deportados de EEUU, esposados y en avión militar.… https://t.co/9MJjKcXitR
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 26, 2025
The Colombian government ‘s measure is due to the way the US has treated Colombian migrants, branding them as “criminals” and transporting them handcuffed on military planes.
In this regard, Petro asked the United States to apply a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before they are deported to their country of origin.
Los EEUU no pueden tratar como delincuentes a los migrantes Colombianos.
Desautorizo la entrada de aviones norteamericanos con migrantes colombianos a nuestro territorio.
EEUU debe establecer un protocolo de tratamiento digno a los migrantes antes que los recibamos nosotros.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 26, 2025
Earlier on Sunday, President Preto requested Colombian Migration to summon all US citizens living in Colombia without a regular status. The Colombian president wrote that almost 16,000 US nationals fall into this category, that he is in favor of mobility of individuals, but these individuals need to regularize their migratory status.
Additionally, President Petro requested the calling of an emergency summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to address the crisis that Trump’s deportation strategy is creating in the region.
Brazil, Mexico, Honduras, and CELAC
Colombia is not the only country in the region that has raised concerns about the recent US deportation flights. Mexico has also made statements on the issue in a conciliatory approach, however, a tension is evident especially after the arrival of migrants from third countries like Cuba or Venezuela to Mexico.
“When it comes to repatriations, we will always accept the arrival of Mexicans to our territory with open arms. Mexico embraces you. Mexico has a very good relationship with the United States government and we cooperate on a wide range of issues, including migration, but always with respect for our sovereignty,” the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs announced, in response to US media claims about alleged rejection of landing permits to deportation flights.
“Absolutely false,” an official source from the Mexican government stated in response to an article published by NBC News claiming that on Thursday, January 23, a flight bound for Mexico was refused entry. What NBC failed to report was the deployment of 1,500 additional US military personnel on the US southern border with Mexico.
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced that it would ask for explanations from the US government regarding the “degrading treatment” of Brazilians on a deportation flight, referring to a deportation flight heading to Belo Horizonte that unexpectedly and suspiciosuly had to land in Manaus near the border with Venezuela.
On Friday, January 24, Brazilian deportees from the US arrived in Brazil in handcuffs. Upon arrival, some of the passengers also reported mistreatment during the flight, according to Brazilian media reports. The plane, carrying 88 Brazilian passengers, 16 US security agents, and eight crew members, was originally scheduled to arrive in Belo Horizonte in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais. However, it made an unscheduled stop in Manaus, Amazonas state, due to technical problems, according to the Justice Ministry of Brazil.
The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, in her capacity as pro tempore president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States ( CELAC), announced on Sunday the convening of an emergency meeting with the heads of state of the region to address the migratory crisis with the United States, after the call made by Colombian President Petro.
The meeting to address the issue of migration, the environmental crisis, and the unity of Latin America will take place on Thursday, January 30, at 11:00 a.m. Honduras time.
President Castro issued a warning to the US government a few weeks ago, saying that her administration would consider closing US military bases on Honduran soil if Trump follows through with his mass deportation plan.
“Faced with a hostile attitude of massive expulsion of our brothers and sisters, we would have to reconsider our policies of cooperation with the United States, especially in the military field,” Castro said in a message addressed to the nation. In particular, she mentioned the Soto Cano Air Base, known as Palmerola, which has hosted the Bravo Joint Task Force of the US Southern Command since 1982.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SC
