Trump Hits Colombia With Tariffs, Sanctions After It Refuses Deportation Flights
Astrid Galvan and Avery Lotz, Axios, January 26, 2025
President Trump on Sunday said he was imposing large tariffs and significant sanctions on Colombia after its government refused to accept two military cargo flights carrying deported Colombians.
Why it matters: The Latin American country has long been a crucial U.S. ally, even under the tenure of leftist President Gustavo Petro.
- The U.S. is Colombia’s largest trade and investment partner, with over $39 billion in goods and services traded between both countries in 2022, according to the U.S. State Department.
Catch up quick: Petro ordered Colombian officials to turn away military planes carrying deportees this weekend. He said in a post on X that the U.S. cannot treat Colombian migrants like criminals and should return them on civilian flights.
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Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he was imposing emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the U.S. from Colombia, a travel ban on Colombian government officials and other major financial sanctions in response to the refusal to accept the flights.
The latest: Petro said in response on X he had ordered Colombia’s foreign trade minister to “raise tariffs on imports from the U.S. to 25%.”
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State of play: In one week, Trump wrote, the tariffs will rise to 50%.
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- Additionally, he ordered enhanced inspections of Colombian nationals and cargo “on national security grounds.”
Meanwhile, Petro has arranged for his presidential plane to help repatriate Colombians deported from the U.S. per a statement from the Colombian president’s office.
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What they’re saying: “These measures are just the beginning,” Trump wrote. “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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