Colombian president Gustavo Petro reportedly offered the use of his presidential plane to help repatriate deportees from the U.S. on Sunday, shortly after President Donald Trump threatened the country with retaliatory tariffs for having turned away two U.S. military aircraft carrying the deportees earlier in the day, according to CNN.
Petro said he was blocking the flights from entering the country because the U.S. “can’t treat Colombian migrants like criminals,” and he initially insisted upon the use of civilian planes to transport the detainees.
Trump then said he would impose a 25 percent tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from Colombia, which would increase to 50 percent in one week.
The American president, who said Petro’s actions amounted to a threat to U.S. national security and public safety, also said he was calling for a travel ban and “immediate Visa Revocations on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters” and visa sanctions on “all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government.”
Moreover, he ordered enhanced Customs and Border Protection inspections for all Colombian nationals and cargo “on national security grounds.” He said he would also call for “IEEPA Treasury, Banking and Financial Sanctions to be fully imposed.”
“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!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
After Trump’s threats, Petro seemingly backed down, offering the use of his presidential plane to transport the deportees.
Colombian and U.S. leaders are reportedly still in talks about the flight.
One Trump administration official told CNN that the U.S. was caught by surprise when Colombia would not allow the flight to enter its territory as Colombian authorities had approved the two flights prior to takeoff, according to documents reviewed by the outlet.
“You can’t go out there and publicly defy us in that way,” the unnamed official told CNN. “We’re going to make sure the world knows they can’t get away with being non serious and deceptive.”