The Trump White Home is claiming victory in a showdown with Colombia over deportees from the U.S. as the brand new president escalates a promised crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
The South American nation backed down from a confrontation over the deportation flights after Trump threatened to impose powerful tariffs and different sanctions.
The White Home trumpeted the capitulation by Colombia as a stark warning to different nations that they need to assume twice about obstructing its plans to deport undocumented immigrants to their homelands.
“[The] events make clear to the world that America is respected again. President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation’s sovereignty, and he expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated.
The Colombian authorities confirmed that it was backing down on the difficulty and President Gustavo Petro even reposted Leavitt’s assertion.
“We have overcome the impasse with the United States government,” stated Colombian Overseas Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo. “We will continue to receive Colombians who return as deportees, guaranteeing them decent conditions as citizens subject to rights.”
Petro initially rejected two Colombia-bound U.S. navy plane carrying migrants after accusing Trump of not treating immigrants humanely.
Trump, who says the deportation flights are a matter of nationwide safety, shortly demanded that Petro again down. He ordered visa restrictions, 25% tariffs on all Colombian incoming items, which might be raised to 50% in a single week, and different retaliatory measures.
Petro countered with a retaliatory 25% improve in Colombian tariffs on U.S. items because the tit-for-tat dispute escalated.
However inside hours, Petro had a change of coronary heart and caved to Trump’s calls for that Colombia settle for the flights.
The deportation flight drama unfolded as Trump officers claimed they arrested practically 1,000 immigrants in sweeps nationwide on Sunday alone.
Prime Homeland Safety and Justice Division officers headed to Chicago Monday the place Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers had been getting ready for extra roundups of reputed criminals and gang members who’re undocumented immigrants.
Trump says his election win quantities to a mandate to deport many tens of millions of undocumented immigrants, beginning with criminals however together with people who find themselves merely residing within the U.S. with out required documentation.
Initially Revealed: January 27, 2025 at 11:43 AM EST
