Politics USA and Colombia settle customs dispute over deportation flights
The USA and Colombia have settled a dispute that quickly boiled over regarding the deportation of migrants by plane. The agreement is a major success for US President Donald Trump.
27.01.2025, 06:15
27.01.2025, 06:16
SDA
The Republican is likely to feel vindicated in his strategy of putting pressure on international partners through intimidation and drastic threats in order to achieve his goals. "Today's events make it clear to the world that America is respected again," wrote Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
Colombia's head of state Gustavo Petro initially prohibited the landing of two US military aircraft with Colombians deported from the USA on board at the weekend - whereupon Trump did not hesitate for long and announced tariffs of 25 percent on goods from Colombia as well as entry restrictions for Colombians. Petro initially flexed his muscles and also announced tariffs - but then backed down.
The Colombian government had agreed to all of Trump's conditions, including the "unrestricted admission" of all Colombians who were sent back from the United States, Trump's spokeswoman announced late on Sunday evening (local time). Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo confirmed that the impasse with the US government had been resolved. On Pedro's instructions, the presidential plane had been made available to facilitate the return of the Colombians.
What triggered the dispute?
Since his inauguration last week, Trump's government has been pushing ahead with arrests and deportations of undocumented migrants, despite criticism from civil and human rights activists. In the process, the US government has also put undocumented migrants on planes to take them back to their home countries.
Colombia is one of these countries - but President Petro prohibited the planes from landing. He justified his decision by saying that migrants are not criminals and should be treated with dignity. He therefore had the US military aircraft sent back. Colombia would accept its nationals "on civilian aircraft without treating them as criminals".
The Brazilian government had previously complained about the "degrading" treatment of dozens of migrants who had been deported from the USA to the city of Belo Horizonte. According to Brazil's foreign ministry, their hands and feet were shackled and the air conditioning on the plane was faulty.
How did Trump react?
Trump's angry reaction to Petro's decision followed promptly. The Republican announced that he would impose so-called emergency tariffs of 25 percent on all goods from Colombia that are imported into the USA. A week later, the additional tariffs were to be raised to 50 percent
Among other things, the USA imports coffee from the country at the northern tip of South America - but also bananas and other tropical fruits such as mangoes, avocados and pineapples. A free trade agreement has been in force since 2012, which has abolished or at least reduced most tariffs.
For reasons of national security, there will also be increased customs and border controls on all Colombian goods and nationals, the US President promised. Trump went on to explain that he had also ordered an entry ban and immediate visa revocation for Colombian government officials, family members and supporters of the Colombian government. "These measures are just the beginning," he threatened.
What was Petro's response?
At first, it didn't look as if Petro was going to back down. On the contrary: Colombia's head of state responded with tariffs of 25 percent on imports from the USA. Colombia imports machinery for industry and agriculture, fertilizer, electrical appliances, pharmaceutical products, vehicles and fuel from the USA, among other things.
"Your blockade does not scare me," said Petro in a letter addressed to Trump. In it, the Colombian wrote defiantly that he too was stubborn. "With your economic power and your arrogance, you can try to carry out a coup d'état," said Petro. However, his country would not allow itself to be ordered around by the USA.
Colombia has stabilized economically since the coronavirus pandemic, but high inflation, unemployment and social inequality continue to cause problems. In some rural regions, there are conflicts between guerrilla groups, drug cartels and the army. Drug trafficking is a major problem.
What is the solution?
Just a few hours after Petro's letter, in which he appeared combative, the White House published a statement. It stated that Petro had agreed to allow US military aircraft carrying people flown out of the United States to land "without restriction or delay". On the basis of this agreement, the tariffs would not be imposed - unless Colombia did not comply.
However, the visa sanctions imposed by the US State Department and the increased customs and border controls on all Colombian goods and nationals will remain in force for the time being until the first plane has landed in Colombia.
Petro initially shared the US government's announcement on Platform X without comment, but deleted the post a short time later. Foreign Minister Murillo plans to travel to Washington in the coming days to discuss the agreement.
How will the new US government tackle migrants?
The agreement is a great success for Trump. The Republican had already announced a deportation program of unprecedented proportions during the election campaign. Immediately after being sworn in, the Republican introduced measures to make it easier for the relevant authorities to arrest people without valid papers. The measures initially fell short of the announcements. But Trump deployed the military for deportation flights, among other things, and announced major raids.
The immigration authority ICE announced on Sunday that "targeted operations" against undocumented migrants had begun in the US metropolis of Chicago. According to CNN, several federal authorities have been given additional powers to arrest undocumented immigrants in the USA for the "blitz". The broadcaster reported that the operation would last several days and cover the entire country.
Trump's government is relying on publicity for the measures. Television personality Phil McGraw, who is best known in the USA for his talk show "Dr. Phil", was present during the operations in Chicago and had the actions filmed. He also published a video with Trump's head of border security, Tom Homan, in which he defended the immigration authorities' actions.
What do the numbers say?
In the days following Trump's inauguration, the daily number of nationwide arrests by ICE appeared to be on a similar scale as under predecessor Joe Biden. On Sunday, however, ICE reported 956 arrests, a significantly higher figure than in the days before. For the 2023 financial year - i.e. still under Democrat Biden - the agency had reported more than 170,000 arrests, an average of around 467 per day. In the 2024 financial year, there were just over 113,000 arrests, an average of 311 per day.
"You're going to see the number of arrests steadily increase across the country," said Homan, who Trump has entrusted with overseeing the planned "mass deportations", in a TV interview. Anyone who is in the country illegally will be arrested. However, Homan also made it clear that more financial support from Congress was needed to implement Trump's far-reaching plans.
