By Phil Stewart and Oliver Griffin
WASHINGTON/BOGOTA (Reuters) -President Donald Trump mentioned on Sunday he’ll impose sweeping retaliatory measures on Colombia, together with tariffs and sanctions, after the South American nation turned away two U.S. army plane with migrants being deported as a part of the brand new U.S. administration’s immigration crackdown.
Colombia, the third largest U.S. buying and selling associate in Latin America, swiftly responded, threatening a 50% tariff on U.S. items. The nation’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro, later posted on X that he directed his commerce minister to extend tariffs on U.S. imports by 25%.
Colombia is the second Latin American nation to refuse U.S. army deportation flights. Trump’s punitive motion demonstrated his extra muscular U.S. international coverage and his renewed willingness to drive international locations to bend to his will.
Trump wrote on Reality Social that Petro’s refusal to just accept the flights jeopardized U.S. nationwide safety.
The retaliatory measures embrace imposing 25% tariffs on all Colombian items coming into the U.S., which is able to go as much as 50% in a single week; a journey ban and visa revocations on Colombian authorities officers; and emergency treasury, banking and monetary sanctions.
Trump mentioned he would additionally direct enhanced border inspections of Colombian nationals and cargo.
“These measures are just the start,” he wrote. “We is not going to enable the Colombian Authorities to violate its authorized obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they pressured into america!”
He later posted an image of himself on Reality Social in a pinstripe go well with and a fedora in entrance of an indication studying FAFO, a standard slang acronym for “Fuck Round and Discover Out”.
America will “not be lied to nor taken benefit of,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an announcement, including that Petro had approved these flights however then canceled his authorization when the planes have been within the air.
SWEEPING CRACKDOWN
Trump declared unlawful immigration a nationwide emergency and imposed a sweeping crackdown since taking workplace final Monday. He directed the U.S. army to assist with border safety, issued a broad ban on asylum and took steps to limit citizenship for kids born on U.S. soil.
Colombia’s Petro condemned the observe on Sunday, suggesting it handled migrants like criminals. In a publish on social media platform X, Petro mentioned Colombia would welcome residence deported migrants on civilian planes.
“The U.S. can not deal with Colombian migrants as criminals,” Petro wrote.
Petro mentioned regardless that there have been 15,660 Individuals with out authorized immigration standing in Colombia, he would by no means perform a raid to return handcuffed Individuals to the U.S.
“We’re the other of the Nazis,” he wrote.
Mexico additionally refused a request final week to let a U.S. army plane land with migrants.
Trump didn’t take related motion towards Mexico, the most important U.S. buying and selling associate, however has mentioned he was interested by imposing 25% duties on imports from Canada and Mexico on Feb. 1 to drive additional motion towards unlawful immigrants and fentanyl flowing into the U.S.
The U.S. is Colombia’s largest buying and selling associate, largely as a consequence of a 2006 free commerce settlement, with $33.8 billion value of two-way commerce in 2023 and a $1.6 billion U.S. commerce surplus, in keeping with U.S. Census Bureau information.
The most important U.S. imports from Colombia that yr have been , gold, espresso, and lower roses. Prime U.S. exports to Colombia have been gasoline and different petroleum merchandise, business plane, corn, crude oil and soybeans.
“Petro’s discovering out that tweets have penalties. He isn’t (going through) a U.S. counterpart that appears at Colombia via a strategic lens, as a key ally, however as a rustic to make an instance of,” mentioned Sergio Guzman, director of consultancy Colombia Danger Evaluation. Guzman added that monetary sanctions could possibly be economically crippling.
Alejo Czerwonko, chief funding officer for rising markets Americas at UBS World Wealth Administration, mentioned Colombia relied on entry to the U.S. marketplace for a few third of its exports, or about 4% of its GDP.
“As well as, the Petro-Trump relationship has began off on the flawed foot, which might sign further challenges forward,” Czerwonko informed Reuters.
GROWING DISCONTENT
Petro’s feedback added to the rising refrain of discontent in Latin America as Trump’s week-old administration begins mobilizing for mass deportations.
Brazil’s international ministry on Saturday condemned “degrading therapy” of Brazilians after migrants have been handcuffed on a business deportation flight. Upon arrival, some passengers additionally reported mistreatment through the flight, in keeping with native information stories.
The airplane, which was carrying 88 Brazilian passengers, 16 U.S. safety brokers, and eight crew members, had been initially scheduled to reach in Belo Horizonte within the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
Nonetheless, at an unscheduled cease as a consequence of technical issues in Manaus, capital of Amazonas, Brazilian officers ordered elimination of {the handcuffs}, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva designated a Brazilian Air Pressure (FAB) flight to finish their journey, the federal government mentioned in an announcement on Saturday.
The business constitution flight was the second this yr from the U.S. carrying undocumented migrants deported again to Brazil and the primary since Trump’s inauguration, in keeping with Brazil’s federal police.
U.S. officers didn’t reply to requests for remark about Brazil.
Using U.S. army plane to hold out deportation flights is a part of the Pentagon’s response to Trump’s nationwide emergency declaration on immigration on Monday.
Previously, U.S. army plane have been used to relocate people from one nation to a different, like through the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
This has been the primary time in current reminiscence that U.S. army plane have been used to fly migrants in a foreign country, one U.S. official mentioned.
U.S. army plane carried out two related flights, every with about 80 migrants, to Guatemala on Friday.
