Washington, January 27, 2025 – The Europe Today: U.S. President Donald Trump has announced sweeping tariffs and sanctions against Colombia, intensifying his immigration crackdown following the South American nation’s refusal to accept deportation flights. The measures mark a sharp escalation in tensions between Washington and Bogotá, traditionally close allies in Latin America.
Speaking from the White House on Sunday, Trump declared a 25 percent tariff on Colombian products, set to double to 50 percent within a week. The legal authority for imposing such tariffs remains unclear, as Colombia is a signatory to a free-trade agreement with the United States.
In addition, Trump announced the immediate revocation of visas for Colombian government officials and their supporters, alongside heightened airport scrutiny for Colombian travelers.
“These measures are just the beginning,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “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!”
The move follows President Gustavo Petro’s staunch refusal to accept deportation flights, citing his opposition to treating Colombian migrants as criminals. “I forbid entry to our territory to U.S. planes carrying Colombian migrants,” Petro declared on X (formerly Twitter), adding that two U.S. planes carrying deportees had been turned away.
In response, the Colombian government offered to use its presidential aircraft to transport the deportees with “dignity,” while allowing civilian flights to land as long as the migrants were not treated as criminals. Petro also highlighted that over 15,600 undocumented Americans were living in Colombia, urging them to regularize their status while ruling out raids or mass deportations.
Retaliating against Trump’s tariffs, Petro instructed Colombia’s foreign trade minister to raise import tariffs on U.S. goods by 25 percent.
The escalating confrontation comes less than a week into Trump’s return to office and underscores his administration’s hardline stance on immigration. Meanwhile, Petro, elected in 2022 as Colombia’s first left-wing president, has vowed to defend his country’s sovereignty and its citizens abroad, setting the stage for a prolonged diplomatic standoff.