The White House announced yesterday Sunday evening (local time) that Colombia has accepted the conditions set by US President Donald Trump for the repatriation of illegal immigrants in this country, adding that as a result, the previously announced tariffs and penalties are suspended at the expense of the Latin American country.

“The Colombian government has accepted all of President Trump’s terms, including unlimited acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia who are repatriated by the US, including those transported by military aircraft, without limitation or delay,” the US presidency said.

Tariffs and sanctions will be reinstated if Bogota violates the dealhe added.

Colombia’s Foreign Minister Mourinho says the ‘impasse’ with the US has been ‘overcome’

Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo assured last Sunday night (local time) that the “impasse” with the US has been “overcome”, after Colombia accepted conditions set by Donald Trump for the repatriation of irregular migrants.

Anticipation of duties and penalties

It is recalled that Trump earlier on Sunday announced a series of tariffs and sanctions against Colombia, the government and his counterpart Gustavo Petro personally — in a dramatic escalation of bilateral tension, following Bogota’s decision to order a military pullback planes carrying immigrants being deported from the US.

Colombian Social Democrat President Gustavo Petro explained the reasoning behind his decision, underlining that “the immigrant is not a criminal”, on the contrary “he must be treated with the dignity that every human being deserves”.

“We will welcome our nationals (if they are transported) on civilian aircraft without treating them like criminals,” he added.

In response, US President Trump, speaking of a decision that “endangers the national security and public safety” of his country, announced via Truth Social a raft of retaliatory measures, notably the imposition of 25% tariffs on all imported Colombian products in the US, although the two countries have signed a free trade agreement in force since 2006.

He explained that in a week, the tariffs will increase to 50%.

Colombia is the third largest trading partner of the US in Latin America.

Colombian President Petro reacted by announcing in turn via X that he had instructed the Ministry of Foreign Trade to “increase to 25% tariffs on imports from the US”.

The sanctions announced by Donald Trump also included an entry ban to the US and the cancellation of passport visas for Colombian government officials, including the head of state, their allies and supporters, as well as “enhanced checks” on the entry of any nationals or goods arriving in the country from the Latin American state.

He also announced financial and banking sanctions against members of the Petros government.

“These measures are only the beginning,” the Republican threatened, accusing the Colombian government of violating “its legal obligation to accept the return of the criminals it forced the US to accept.”

Colombian President Petro also said that he would send the presidential plane to “facilitate the dignified return of the nationals (of Colombia) who were to arrive in the country (yesterday) morning on deportation flights”.

An AFP source in the Colombian presidency pointed out that Washington did not follow “the usual procedure” in such cases.

The head of American diplomacy, Marco Rubio, argued in a statement released by his services at the State Department that Mr. Petros had initially agreed to the flights, but “rescinded his approval while the aircraft were in flight”.

A few hours later Mr. Rubio announced that he had ordered the suspension of the issuance of any passport visas by the US Embassy in Bogota and the initiation of travel sanctions against members of the Petro administration.

Donald Trump campaigned for the “largest deportation program in American history” and the White House boasted last week of arresting hundreds of “criminal illegal immigrants”, stressing that they were deported on military flights and not political ones, as has been the case until now.

Most of the estimated 11 million irregular immigrants in his country are nationals of Latin American countries.

Since his inauguration on January 20, no deportations have yet taken place in Colombia — they have, however, occurred in Guatemala and Brazil.

A few days earlier, the Mexican authorities also did not accept the deportation of the country’s citizens by US military aircraft; Mr. Trump has not announced such measures against the Mexican government — however, he has already announced 10 percent tariffs on that country from February 1, as well as on Canada, because of what he calls the “invasion” of undocumented immigrants.

Analysts estimate that the administration of Donald Trump may be trying to turn Colombia into an example to avoid.

On the other hand, the Colombian president emphasized that there are 15,660 Americans living in his country without a residence permit, but his government would never proceed with raids to deport prisoners in the USA. “We are the opposite of the Nazis,” said Mr. Peter.

In the meantime, the US official (“border czar”, according to Mr. Trump’s definition) who took charge of the policy of mass deportations of immigrants, Tom Homan, said yesterday Sunday in an interview with the ABC News television network that the migrants may be deported to third countries if their country of origin refuses to accept them.

At the same time, yesterday Saturday, Brazil demanded an explanation from the US government for the “humiliating treatment” of 88 Brazilian irregular immigrants who were deported on a civilian flight that landed in Manaus (north).

On the plane “they didn’t even give us water, we were tied hands and feet, they didn’t even allow us to go to the toilets,” Edgar da Silva Moura, a computer scientist, 31, who arrived on this flight after seven months of detention in the US.

“It was too hot, some fainted,” he added.

According to the Brazilian minister in charge of human rights, Macae Evaristou, there were “autistic children” and “disabled” people on the plane, who experienced “very difficult situations”.

The Justice Department demanded that US authorities “immediately remove the shackles” when the plane carrying the deportees landed in Manaus, denouncing the “flagrant violation of fundamental rights” of Brazilians, according to a statement.

A Brazilian government source told AFP that this deportation had “no direct connection” to the anti-immigration operation that began immediately after the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20, but “is registered (…) in a bilateral agreement between Brazil and the US signed in 2017 and remains in force.”