Colombia awaits deported migrants after Trump forces climbdown

by Valentín DÌAZ

Colombia said Monday it had sent aircraft to repatriate migrants deported from the United States after apparently bowing to President Donald Trump's threats of painful tariffs for defying his plans for mass expulsions.

After a day-long showdown with Trump, which culminated with Washington and Bogota threatening each other with a full-blown trade war, the White House claimed Sunday evening that Colombia had backed down.

Washington said that Bogota, which turned back two US military planeloads of migrants on Sunday, had agreed to "unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States."

But it was unclear whether Colombia's left-wing President Gustavo Petro had relinquished all of his demands, with Bogota saying Monday it had sent its own planes to bring home deportees.

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Colombia's ambassador to Washington, Daniel Garcia Pena, told Blu Radio that the planes were "on their way to pick up our compatriots in the United States" and would be "landing today, or at the latest early tomorrow."

Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo on Sunday night confirmed that the government had "overcome the impasse" with Washington but did not give details, saying only that Colombia would "continue to receive Colombians who return as deportees" in "dignified conditions."

Trump's plan for mass deportations of migrants has 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.

Since he took office a week ago, thousands of migrants have been deported to Central and South America -- but in most cases the deportations stemmed from agreements predating his return to power.

Colombia, traditionally one of the United States' closest allies in Latin America, was the only country to announce that it had turned back deportation flights.

- Sent home in chains -

The decision appeared linked to the treatment of dozens of Brazilian migrants who were sent home in chains on a US plane on Friday, in what Brazil called "flagrant disregard" for their basic rights.

Colombia's president had made clear however he would allow in civilian deportation flights, as long as the migrants were not treated "like criminals."

But Trump responded furiously nonetheless, announcing stiff tariffs on Colombian imports despite the two countries having a free-trade agreement and suspending the issuing of visas at the US embassy in Bogota among other measures.

Petro initially sought to hit back and impose his own tariffs on US products, but later backed down following an outcry in Colombia over what many saw as his reckless handling of the dispute.

Trump later said he would suspend implementation of the tariffs but that the visa measures would stay in place until the first planeload of deportees returned.

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.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her country received around 4,000 deported migrants during Trump's first week back in office, which was "not a substantial increase" on the usual rate.

Just over 190,000 people were deported to Mexico from January to November 2024, according to government figures, that is about 17,200 per month.

Sheinbaum is also trying to avert a trade war with Washington, after Trump renewed his threat to impose 25% tariffs on imports from both Mexico and Canada unless they halted the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States.

The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, has 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.