Petro rejects US deportation military flights, Trump slaps sanctions
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The decision mirrors that of Mexico, which declined a request last week to allow a US military aircraft to land with migrants.
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A US customs and border protection agent watches as undocumented immigrants are loaded onto a military plane in Arizona on January 23, 2025. (AP)
Colombia turned away two US military planes carrying migrants deported as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown on Sunday, according to a US official, in at least the second instance of a Latin American country blocking US military deportation flights.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro denounced the practice, claiming it treated migrants as criminals. In a post on X, he said his country would welcome deported migrants back on civilian flights, asserting that they should be treated with decency.
The decision mirrors that of Mexico, which declined a request last week to allow a US military aircraft to land with migrants.
"The U.S. cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals," Petro wrote, noting that there were 15,660 Americans with improper immigration status in Colombia.
The Colombian government said it was instead ready to send its presidential plane to the United States to transport "with dignity" the migrants whose flights were blocked by Bogota.
Petro also said he was ready to allow civilian US flights carrying deported migrants to land, as long as those on board were not treated "like criminals."
The Colombian president's words add to the increased concern in Latin America as Trump's government prepares for mass deportations.
Late on Saturday, Brazil's foreign ministry decried the "degrading treatment" of Brazilian migrants after they were shackled aboard a commercial deportation aircraft amid reports of abuse onboard.
According to Brazil's federal police, the commercial charter aircraft carrying 88 Brazilians was the second from the US this year and the first since Trump took office.
This is the first time recently that US military planes have been used to carry migrants out of the nation, according to a US official. On Friday, US military planes flew to Guatemala twice, each flight carrying around 80 migrants.
The move underscores the Trump administration's firm stance on immigration. According to previous reports by Reuters, Trump is expected to mobilize government agencies nationwide to achieve record deportation numbers, building on his first-term efforts to leverage all available resources and pressure so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions into compliance.
Trump sanctions Colombia after defiance
US President Donald Trump issued broad tariffs and sanctions on Colombia on Sunday in punishment for the country's refusal to accept deportation planes.
Trump, who has been back in office for less than a week, has announced that he will put 25% tariffs on Colombian imports, which will grow to 50% in a week.
His right to do so was questionable, considering that Colombia has a free-trade pact with the US.
Trump also stated that he would immediately cancel visas for Colombian government officials and "supporters" of President Gustavo Petro, as well as subject Colombians to stricter airport screening.
On his social media platform Truth, Trump wrote this was "just the beginning," adding that the US would 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!"
