Politics

Escalating Trade Tensions Between the US and Colombia: Agreement to Halt Tariffs in Exchange for Migrant Acceptance

By Sama Marwan,

The Financial Times reported that the announcement to suspend punitive tariffs against Colombia came after Colombian President Gustavo Petro agreed to allow the entry of deportation flights for migrants via U.S. military planes. This agreement helped avert an escalation in the trade dispute between the two allied nations.

Initially, Colombia had rejected the entry of two U.S. military aircraft carrying deported migrants last Sunday, prompting Washington to impose a 25% tariff on Colombian exports to the U.S. In retaliation, President Petro announced a 50% tariff on U.S. imports.

Later, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump declared that it would halt the punitive tariffs against Colombia after the latter agreed to Trump’s terms, including accepting undocumented migrants returned from the U.S. without restrictions. However, visa sanctions against Colombian government officials remain in effect “until the planes carrying the first batch of deported Colombians return.”

In this context, a statement from the White House noted that Trump “will continue to protect the nation’s sovereignty” and called on other countries to fully cooperate in accepting their citizens who have entered the U.S. illegally.

For his part, Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo stated that the crisis between the two nations had been resolved, adding that he would soon travel to Washington to follow up on the implementation of the agreements. He also mentioned that a Colombian presidential aircraft would be made available to facilitate the return of rejected migrants.

President Petro, in his remarks, emphasized that deported migrants should be treated “with dignity and respect,” noting that Colombia would receive them on civilian flights, and they would not be treated as criminals. Trump, however, responded on his social media platform “Truth,” accusing Petro of threatening “national security” and announcing a 25% tariff on Colombia, which would increase to 50% within a week. He also imposed a travel ban and visa restrictions on Colombian government officials.

Although Colombia and the U.S. have long been close allies, this crisis highlights the ideological differences between Trump and Petro. While Washington has provided significant assistance to Colombia in fighting armed groups and drug trafficking, the dispute over immigration policy remains a key point of contention between the two nations.

It is noteworthy that last year, approximately 302,000 migrants crossed the “Darién Gap” between Colombia and Panama, a 40% decrease from 2023, due to security measures taken by Panamanian authorities against smuggling groups. However, the number of migrants continued to rise through illegal routes made available by previous U.S. immigration policies, reflecting the growing challenges in the immigration issue.

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