President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he would impose harsh tariffs on Colombian goods and revoke visas for Colombian government officials in response to President Gustavo Petro’s decision to block deportation flights from the United States.
Earlier that day, Petro declared that his administration would prevent U.S. deportation flights from landing in Colombia until migrants were guaranteed “dignified treatment,” escalating tensions with Washington just days into Trump’s second term.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump revealed that he had instructed his administration to implement emergency tariffs of 25 percent on all Colombian imports, with the rate set to rise to 50 percent within a week.
Trump also announced a travel ban on Colombian officials and said he was invoking sanctions through his emergency presidential powers.
“Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures,” Trump stated.
These actions come less than a week after Trump’s inauguration, where he reiterated his pledge to deport millions of undocumented workers from the U.S. He has also threatened to impose similar tariffs on major U.S. trading partners like Mexico and Canada, accusing them of failing to address illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
“These measures are just the beginning,” Trump wrote on social media. “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!”
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