The U.S. and Colombia averted a commerce struggle Sunday after Colombia agreed to permit navy plane carrying deported migrants, in response to the White House.
U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened tariffs and sanctions on Colombia to punish it for earlier refusing to simply accept navy flights carrying deportees as a part of his sweeping immigration crackdown.
But in an announcement late Sunday, the White House mentioned Colombia had agreed to simply accept the migrants in spite of everything and Washington wouldn’t impose its threatened penalties.
“The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay,” it mentioned.
Draft orders imposing tariffs and sanctions on Colombia could be “held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement,” it added.
“Today’s events make clear to the world that America is respected again. President Trump … expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States,” the White House assertion mentioned.
In an announcement late Sunday, Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo mentioned: “We have overcome the impasse with the U.S. government”. “The government of Colombia … has the presidential plane ready to facilitate the return of Colombians who were going to arrive in the country this morning on deportation flights.”
The assertion didn’t particularly say that the settlement included navy flights however it didn’t contradict the White House announcement.
Murillo and Colombia’s ambassador to the United States will journey to Washington in coming days to observe up on agreements that led to the trade of diplomatic notes between the 2 governments, the Colombian assertion added.
Washington’s draft measures, now on maintain, embody imposing 25% tariffs on all Colombian items coming into the U.S., which might 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 additionally threatened to direct enhanced border inspections of Colombian nationals and cargo. Ahead of the announcement of an settlement on the flights, a State Department spokesperson mentioned the United States had suspended visa processing on the U.S. embassy in Bogota.
Colombia is the third-largest U.S. buying and selling companion in Latin America.
The U.S. is Colombia’s largest buying and selling companion, largely resulting from a 2006 free commerce settlement that generated $33.8 billion in two-way commerce in 2023 and a $1.6 billion U.S. commerce surplus, in response to U.S. Census Bureau information.
Alejo Czerwonko, chief funding officer for rising markets Americas at UBS Global Wealth Management, mentioned Colombia relied on entry to the U.S. marketplace for a couple of third of its exports, or about 4% of its GDP.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro earlier condemned the navy deportation flights and mentioned he would by no means perform a raid to return handcuffed Americans to the U.S.
“We are the opposite of the Nazis,” he wrote in a put up on social media platform X.
He additionally mentioned, nonetheless, that Colombia would welcome dwelling deported migrants on civilian planes and supplied his presidential airplane to facilitate their “dignified return.”
‘Degrading therapy’
Trump declared unlawful immigration a nationwide emergency and has imposed a crackdown since taking workplace final Monday.
He directed the U.S. navy to assist with border safety, issued a broad ban on asylum and took steps to limit citizenship for kids born on U.S. soil.
The use of U.S. navy plane to hold out deportation flights is uncommon. U.S. navy plane carried out two flights, every with about 80 migrants, to Guatemala on Friday.
Mexico additionally refused a request final week to let a U.S. navy plane land with migrants.
Trump has mentioned he is considering imposing 25% duties on imports from Canada and Mexico on Feb. 1 to pressure additional motion towards unlawful immigrants and fentanyl flowing into the U.S.
Brazil’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned “degrading treatment” of Brazilians after migrants have been handcuffed on a industrial deportation flight. Upon arrival, some passengers additionally reported mistreatment throughout the flight, in response to news studies.
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.
However, at an unscheduled cease resulting from technical issues in Manaus, capital of Amazonas, Brazilian officers ordered elimination of {the handcuffs}, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva designated a Brazilian Air Force (FAB) flight to finish their journey, the federal government mentioned in an announcement on Saturday.
The industrial constitution flight was the second this 12 months from the U.S. carrying undocumented migrants deported again to Brazil and the primary since Trump’s inauguration, in response to Brazil’s federal police.
U.S. officers didn’t reply to requests for remark about Brazil.
Source: www.dailysabah.com