A threat to Colombia, a warning to the rest of the world, an unprecedented precedent. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Sunday the immediate imposition of tariffs of up to 25% on all products from Colombia, with an increase to 50% within a week, as retaliation for the Gustavo Petro government's refusal to allow the landing of two deportation flights. Additionally, Washington will revoke the visas of Colombian officials and prohibit the entry of government members, their families, and supporters into the country, as well as subjecting all Colombian citizens and shipments of goods, by land, sea, or air, to thorough controls.
Washington unilaterally decided, and Bogotá said no to the arrival of military flights, prompting an immediate response, accusing local authorities of changing their minds at the last minute while the planes were already in the air. "I have just been informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, carrying a large number of illegal criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia. This order was given by the socialist President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular among his people. Petro's refusal of these flights has endangered the national and public security of the United States, so I have ordered my administration to take immediate retaliatory and decisive measures," said Trump, with an economic and geopolitical response that no one expected.
"In a week, the 25% tariffs will increase to 50%," Trump said in a message on his Truth Social network, where he also announced other "urgent and decisive retaliatory measures" against Colombia that go much further. The White House explains that this is a clear message to all, applicable to Petro, Nicolás Maduro, and the rest of Latin America. The new Trump Administration announced on Friday that it had "begun" deportations of undocumented migrants to their home countries, but Petro made it clear that he disagreed because those affected were not receiving "dignified" treatment and has ordered to respond with the same measure, another 25% tariffs on all American products.
The Presidency of Colombia detailed in a statement that Petro "has made the presidential plane available to facilitate the dignified return of compatriots who were supposed to arrive in the country this morning, coming from deportation flights (...) This measure responds to the government's commitment to guarantee dignified conditions. Colombian citizens, as patriots and rights holders, have not been and will not be banished from Colombian territory. The US cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I disapprove of the entry of American planes with Colombian migrants into our territory. The US must establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them," he added.
This is not unprecedented. In 2023, Colombia already rejected similar initiatives with Biden in power for exactly the same dignity reasons. "The socialist President of Colombia did not understand that President Trump is not Joe Biden," boasted Bernie Moreno, a senator from Ohio born in Bogotá.
US policy now operates through tweets and visceral reactions. In his message to his followers, Trump added that in addition to the tariffs, which can seriously harm the Colombian economy since the US is its top buyer, but also further increase the cost of goods imported by local companies, from coffee to oil, they will fully impose "financial, banking, and Treasury sanctions under the IEEPA. These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian government to violate its legal obligations regarding the acceptance and return of criminals who forced their way into the United States!" he promised. His next message was a montage with his face, wearing a hat, with the inscription Fafo, which means "F..ck Around and Find Out", a recurring internet meme about the consequences of actions.
This move represents a significant change, both in Washington's policy and in the balance of power in Latin America. It is clear that Petro and Trump's ideologies and worldviews are diametrically opposed, but Colombia has traditionally been a key ally of the US in the region, especially in the fight against drugs. "President Trump has made it clear that under his administration, the United States will no longer be subjected to lies or abuses. It is the responsibility of each nation to seriously and expeditiously repatriate their citizens who are illegally in the United States. Colombian President Petro had authorized the flights and had granted all necessary authorizations, but then canceled his authorization when the planes were already in the air. As today's actions demonstrate, we are unwavering in our commitment to ending illegal immigration and strengthening US border security," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday.
A source cited by Fox News has revealed that the Trump administration will announce the closure of the US Embassy's visa section in Colombia tomorrow, which had approximately 1,500 scheduled appointments, in response to Petro's decision. However, the president has chosen to confront Trump in the same manner, through social media. "American citizens who wish to can be in Colombia, I believe in human freedom. But there are over 15,666 irregular individuals, and according to Colombian laws, they must regularize their stay. You will never see me burning an American flag or conducting a 'ratzia' to return the illegals handcuffed to the US. True libertarians will never violate human freedom. We are the opposite of Nazis," he said in a thinly veiled message.
In another message, with hundreds of words, he went further by discussing US history and warning: "So if you know someone stubborn, that's me, period. You can, with your economic power and arrogance, try to stage a coup as they did with Allende. But I will die in my law, I resisted torture and I resist you. I do not want slaveholders next to Colombia, we had many and we freed ourselves. What I want next to Colombia are lovers of freedom. If you cannot join me, I will go elsewhere. Colombia is the heart of the world, and you did not understand it. This is the land of yellow butterflies, of the beauty of Remedios, but also of the Colonel Aurelianos Buendía, of whom I am one, perhaps the last. You may kill me, but I will survive in my town, which is before yours, in the Americas. We are people of the winds, the mountains, the Caribbean Sea, and freedom."