Colombia’s left-leaning President Gustavo Petro did not back down, announcing his own tariffs against US products, as he vowed that returning migrants be treated with dignity.
It was unclear how quickly the tariffs would come as Colombia, historically one of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America, enjoys a free-trade agreement with the United States.
Not to be outdone, Petro, a former leftist guerrilla, said he had instructed his minister for external trade “to raise tariffs on imports from the US to 25%.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, days away from a trip to Latin America aimed at pushing Trump’s agenda, said that the US embassy in Bogota was suspending all issuance of visas.
‘I forbid entry’
While some countries including Guatemala have accepted military deportation flights, Trump has faced resistance from Petro, elected in 2022 as the first left-wing leader of Latin America’s fourth-largest economy.
Petro said he had “turned back US military planes.” Trump said two US planes were not allowed to land.
Petro said he was also ready to allow civilian US flights carrying deported migrants to land, as long as those aboard were not treated “like criminals.”
Petro’s Colombian critics reacted furiously to what they saw as his reckless rumble with Trump.
‘Tied hands and feet’
Brazil, which is also led by a left-wing president, voiced outrage over treatment by the Trump administration of dozens of Brazilian migrants deported back to their country on Friday.
Edgar Da Silva Moura, a 31-year-old computer technician who was among the 88 deported migrants, told AFP: “On the plane they didn’t give us water, we were tied hands and feet, they wouldn’t even let us go to the bathroom.”
The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, called for an urgent meeting of leaders from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to take place Thursday in Tegucigalpa to discuss migration following the latest US moves.
While previous US administrations also routinely carried out deportations, the Trump administration has begun using military aircraft, with at least one landing in Guatemala this week.
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