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Trump hits Colombia with tariffs, sanctions after it refuses deportation flights

 Trump slaps tariffs, sanctions on Colombia as it rejects deportation flights President Trump said he is imposing large tariffs and significant sanctions against Colombia after its government refused to accept two military cargo flights carrying deported Colombians.

Trump hits Colombia with tariffs, sanctions after it refuses deportation flights


The latest: Trump won't impose tariffs on Colombia after all — following the Latin American government's agreement to accept all of his terms, including receiving Colombians deported from the U.S., White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Sunday night.

Why it matters: The Latin American country has long been a crucial U.S. ally, even under the tenure of leftist President Gustavo Petro.

READ MOREUS, Colombia reach deal on deportations; tariff, sanctions

The United States is the largest trade and investment partner of Colombia, and in 2022, there was a total of $39 billion in goods and services exchanged between the two countries, according to the data from the U.S. State Department.

Quick catch-up: Petro ordered Colombian officials to turn away military planes carrying deportees this weekend. He posted on X saying that the United States cannot treat Colombian migrants like criminals and should bring them back on civilian flights.

"I cannot force migrants to stay in a country where they are not wanted, but that country should return them with dignity and respect toward them and our country," Petro wrote.

Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he imposed emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the U.S. from Colombia, a travel ban on Colombian government officials, and other major financial sanctions in response to the refusal to accept the flights.


Of note: Petro said in response on X he had ordered Colombia's foreign trade minister to "raise tariffs on imports from the U.S. to 25%.


He said, "The ministry should help direct our exports to the world, apart from the U.S. Our exports must increase."

State of play: In a week, the tariffs will rise to 50 percent, Trump said.


Besides the travel ban and tariffs, the president announced that he directed his administration to revoke visas for Colombian government officials and place visa sanctions on all party and family members, as well as supporters, of the Colombian government.

He also ordered enhanced inspections of Colombian nationals and cargo "on national security grounds."

The office of the Colombian president also made available to airlift back Colombians deported from the United States Petro's presidential plane, as contained in a press release issued on Monday.


"This measure responds to the government's commitment to guarantee dignified conditions," it added.

What they're saying: "These measures are just the beginning," Trump wrote. "We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!"


Zoom out: Trump vowed throughout his campaign to throw millions of undocumented people out of the U.S. — and on his first week in office, his crackdown on immigration began with a series of sweeping executive orders.

READ MORE Colombia agrees to take deported migrants from US after 

Tom Homan, Trump's "border czar," said that the U.S. government will be conducting deportation flights every day. The administration issued a new rule Tuesday that dramatically expanded expedited removal for immigrants who cannot prove they have continually lived in the U.S. for the past two years.

The Pentagon said Wednesday it would deploy an additional 1,500 troops to the southern border as Trump declared a national emergency in the region, and the administration is working to secure more aircraft to speed up deportations.

The two Air Force C-17 cargo planes carrying the migrants pulled out from the United States landed Friday morning in Guatemala. On the same day, two flights returned to the U.S.

On Saturday, another flight heading to Brazil sparked criticism from Brazil's government, which described the entry of those from the flight when they arrived handcuffed in the country as "flagrant disregard" for the rights of the 88 passengers inside the plane.

What we're watching: Retaliatory tariffs from Trump may further fuel coffee prices that are already rising, putting a pricier cup of joe in the pockets of American consumers, Axios' Ben Berkowitz reports.


Colombia is also one of the leading suppliers of flowers to the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The country provided about 37% of U.S. cut flower and nursery stock value from 2018 to 2022.

Trump pausing Colombia tariffs after migrants deal, White House says

President Trump said on Sunday that he was imposing large tariffs and significant sanctions on Colombia after its government refused to accept two military cargo flights carrying deported Colombians.

The latest: Trump won't impose tariffs on Colombia after all — following the Latin American government's agreement to accept his terms, including receiving Colombians deported from the U.S., White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Sunday night.


Trump's Colombia tariff threat raises fears about coffee prices

He has just threatened to retaliate with 25% tariffs, briefly stoking fears that coffee prices, already at record levels, will surge even higher.

Why it matters: Beans from Colombia make up 20% of U.S. coffee imports and the biggest source, Brazil, is struggling with weak crops after a series of weather disasters.

Catch up quick: On Sunday Trump threatened to impose emergency 25 percent tariffs on all imports from Colombia, which could rise to 50 percent in one week over the country's refusal to accept two deportation flights from the U.S.


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