US President Donald Trump on January 26 ordered tariffs and sanctions against Colombia in retaliation for the country's refusal to accept flights to deport migrants.
President Trump was furious after Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he had refused US military planes carrying migrants, according to AFP. Trump began retaliating by announcing he would impose a 25% tariff on Colombian products, which would rise to 50% in a week.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro (left) and US President Donald Trump
Mr Trump also announced that he would immediately revoke visas for Colombian government officials and "supporters" of President Petro, and subject Colombians to increased screening at airports.
"These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian government to violate its legal obligations to accept and return criminals they have forced into the United States!", Mr. Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social.
In response, President Petro wrote on social network X that he had instructed the foreign trade minister to "increase tariffs on imports from the US to 25%".
Mr. Trump took office as US president on January 20 with a promise to arrest and quickly deport illegal aliens in the US, but faced opposition from Mr. Petro, according to AFP.
"The United States cannot treat Colombian migrants like criminals. I prohibit American planes carrying Colombian migrants from entering our territory," Petro wrote on X earlier.
Mr Petro then went on to write that he had “refused US military aircraft”. Mr Trump said two US aircraft had not been allowed to land in Colombia.
The Colombian government said it was instead ready to send the presidential plane to the United States to "respectfully" transport the migrants on the flight intercepted by Colombia.
President Petro stressed that he was ready to allow US civilian flights carrying deported migrants to land, as long as those on board were not treated "like criminals".
Meanwhile, Mr. Petro said that there were more than 15,600 undocumented Americans living in Colombia and called on them to "regularize their situation", while ruling out raids to arrest and deport them, according to AFP.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-va-colombia-an-mieng-tra-mieng-ngay-lap-tuc-18525012706372388.htm
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