Colombia Gives in to US Deportation Flights to Avoid $53.5B Trade War

After threats of heavy tariffs from Trump, Colombia agreed to accept US deportation flights to avoid a billion-dollar trade war.

By Thea Felicity

Updated: Jan 27 2025, 08:36 AM EST

COLOMBIA-US-DIPLOMACY-MIGRATION — View at the entrance of the United States Embassy taken in Bogota on January 26, 2025. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro announced on January 26, 2025 that he will impose 50 percent tariffs on exports from the United States, in response to US President Donald Trump who vowed to hit Colombia with steep tariffs and other sanctions after his Colombian counterpart blocked deportation flights from the United States. PABLO VERA/AFP via Getty Images

Days after Trump's inaugural, deportation efforts have started shortly, but Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, refused two US military aircraft carrying deported migrants permission to land in Colombia.

The situation then escalated when the Trump administration warned that it could impose heavy tariffs on Colombian imports, which might precipitate a massive trade war.

According to BBC, President Petro blocked flights because he expressed concern over how migrants were handled on the plane. Petro was offended by the act of handcuffed and restrained deportees during the process of deporting them to their countries of origin. The Colombia President has called for the US government to take drastic measures to prevent migrants from suffering such humiliation.

He proposed that Colombia bring its presidential jet to take its citizens back if nothing changed.

Trump responded by threatening to increase tariffs on all Colombian goods to 25%, increasing this to 50% if Colombia did not comply within a week. He would also impose travel bans and revoke the visas for Colombia government officials. This was an implied economic sanction that showed that the US intended to hold Colombia accountable for the moves.

Colombia Gives in to Deportation Flights

After mounting pressure, the Colombian government decided to step back and accept the deportation flights. Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo announced that Colombia will allow the US military planes to land with deported migrants, indicating the actions are coming to an end.

CBS News reported that the US administration maintained it would retain visa restrictions on Colombian officials until the very first deportation flight arrived.

This decision avoided a trade war between both nations, though underlying tensions showcased the low point of US-Colombia relations. Both have been able to work together on issues such as drug trafficking throughout their history; a trade dispute would have hurt the interests of the Colombian exporter, as well as US consumers.