The Trump White House threatened tariffs on Colombia, then reversed course after striking a deal
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- President Trump said the US would issue 25% tariffs on Colombia after it rejected deportation flights.
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro halted flights with deported migrants from landing in his country.
- But the White House reversed course, saying it had struck a deal with Colombia.
The Trump White House on Sunday walked back its tariff threats on Colombia, hours after it said it would impose 25% tariffs on goods from the country.
"The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump's terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Sunday statement on X.
Earlier on Sunday, President Donald Trump said the United States will impose tariffs on Colombia after its president turned away two flights carrying deported migrants.
"A migrant is not a criminal and must be treated with the dignity that a human being deserves," Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Sunday. "That is why I returned the US military planes that were carrying Colombian migrants."
Trump responded on Truth Social, announcing immediate tariffs and vowing they'd increase if Petro didn't comply.
"I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures: Emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States," he said. "In one week, the 25% tariffs will be raised to 50%."
Trump also imposed a travel ban on Colombian government officials and visa sanctions on individuals tied to the country's government.
"These measures are just the beginning," the president said. "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!"
Petro said in a statement on X he would receive Colombians "on civilian planes, without treating them like criminals."
In the White House's statement on X, Leavitt said that the tariffs and sanctions "will be held in reserve" unless Colombia "fails to honor this agreement."
Petro reposted Leavitt's X statement.
The United States is Colombia's largest trading partner. Some of the leading Colombian exports to the United States include coffee, bananas, flowers, and crude oil.
Trump's posture on the repatriation of migrants has rankled some governments in Latin America. NBC News reported that Mexico on Thursday also refused to allow a US military flight carrying migrants to land in the country.
Trump has long made immigration a central issue. While President Joe Biden was in office, Trump railed against the number of migrants who crossed the US southern border, making the issue a centerpiece of his 2024 campaign.
Trump pledged during the campaign to enact the biggest mass deportation plan in US history once he assumed office for his second term.