Trump Threatens Colombia with Retaliatory Measures After Repatriation Flights Denied

President Donald Trump has threatened Colombia with "decisive retaliatory measures" after two repatriation flights were not allowed to land in the country.

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that he was informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of "Illegal Criminals," were not allowed to land in Colombia. He added that this order was given by Colombia's Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people.

Trump said that Petro's denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so he has directed his Administration to immediately take urgent and decisive retaliatory measures.

The U.S. government will impose 25 percent tariffs on Colombia for all goods going to the U.S. In a week, those tariffs will be raised to 50 percent.

A travel ban and visa revocations will be imposed on Colombian government officials, as well as all allies and supporters.

Visa sanctions would be levied against all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government.

There would be Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds.

Financial sanctions would be fully imposed.

Trump concluded by saying that these measures are just the beginning. 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!

This comes after Petro said in a series of posts on X that Colombia would not accept military deportation flights from the U.S. until the Trump White House sets up a process to treat Colombian migrants with dignity and respect.

Petro said that he cannot make migrants stay in a country that does not want them, but if that country sends them back, it should be with dignity and respect for them and for our country.

Petro said he would allow civilian planes carrying deportees to land in his country, but that he would block the arrival of military planes.

Petro has now found himself at odds with the leader of his country's most important trading partner and security ally. Remittances to Colombia make up about 3.4 percent of the Colombian economy, and most of those remittances emanate from the U.S.

The first leftist Colombian president, Petro, is close to the presidents of Mexico and Brazil. He wrote on X that more than 15,600 U.S. citizens are living in Colombia without the correct documentation. Even so, he said he would not raid them and send them back to the U.S. in chains, adding that his government is "the opposite of Nazis.