WASHINGTON, Jan 27: The United States and Colombia have reached a deal regarding deportation flights, with Colombia agreeing to accept military aircraft carrying deported migrants. This agreement comes after escalating tensions between the two nations, following Colombia’s initial refusal to accept military flights as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
The White House issued a statement late Sunday, confirming that Colombia had agreed to accept all deported Colombian nationals from the United States, including those transported on U.S. military aircraft, without limitations or delays. As a result, the U.S. has decided to hold off on implementing the threatened sanctions and tariffs. These penalties, which included a potential 25% tariff on Colombian imports—set to rise to 50%—as well as visa revocations and financial sanctions, are now on reserve, to be enforced only if Colombia fails to honor the agreement.
In his statement, the White House emphasized that this resolution underscored America’s global respect and signaled to other nations the importance of cooperating in deportation efforts. Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo confirmed the agreement, stating that Colombia had prepared a presidential plane to facilitate the return of deported Colombians, although the statement did not explicitly confirm whether the military flights would be part of the agreement. Murillo and Colombia’s ambassador to the United States are expected to visit Washington soon to follow up on the diplomatic discussions.
The U.S. had previously threatened a wide array of penalties, including enhanced border inspections, following Colombia’s rejection of U.S. military deportation flights. This came as part of President Petro’s criticism of the deportation process, which he condemned as inhumane. Petro had offered to use his presidential plane for the “dignified return” of deported migrants, instead of sending them back on military flights. He also expressed that his government would not engage in raids to deport handcuffed Americans, drawing comparisons to Nazi tactics in his social media posts.
Colombia, a key U.S. trading partner in Latin America, relies heavily on access to the U.S. market, with trade amounting to $33.8 billion in 2023, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Approximately one-third of Colombia’s exports, or about 4% of its GDP, depend on the U.S. market. The two nations have long had strong trade relations, bolstered by a free trade agreement signed in 2006.
With this deal, the U.S. has temporarily avoided the imposition of severe economic sanctions on Colombia, and the tensions surrounding deportation flights appear to have been diffused, for now.
