Colombia: Crisis due to Trump's deportation offensive

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Colombia: Crisis due to Trump's deportation offensive Tjerk Brühwiller • 8 hours • 3 minutes reading time Penalties averted: Colombia's President Gustavo Petro gave in: The Colombian government now wants to accept Trump's demands. The United States and Colombia faced a serious crisis on Sunday after Bogotá turned away two US military planes with deported Colombians on board. According to Washington, the two planes were already on their way to South America when Bogotá withdrew its authorization. Trump described the Colombian decision as a threat to national security and ordered harsh punitive measures: punitive tariffs of 25 to 50 percent on imports from Colombia, travel restrictions against Colombian government officials, financial sanctions against Colombian banks and increased inspections of Colombian people and goods at the border. "This is just the beginning," Trump threatened. Colombia's left-wing President Gustavo Petro also responded with tariffs on American imports and sharply criticized Trump's deportation offensive. In the evening, the Colombian government backed down and gave in. The Colombian government had accepted all of President Trump's demands, the White House announced, and withdrew the punitive tariffs. However, travel restrictions and inspections would remain in place until the first plane carrying migrants landed in Colombia. "Today's events make it clear to the world that America is respected again," the statement said. Trump will continue to protect the country's sovereignty and expects cooperation from other countries. Sanctions could cause serious damage It is questionable how respected the United States is after the events. But Trump's whip has at least had an effect. The calculation is quickly made. The United States is Colombia's most important trading partner. Around a third of Colombian exports, including crude oil, gold, coffee and cut flowers, go to the United States, which generates around 4 percent of gross domestic product. The bilateral trade volume between the two countries was $33.8 billion in 2023. The threatened sanctions would have meant immense economic damage for Colombia - and political damage for President Petro. Less than a week after Trump took office, the first escalation has been narrowly averted. But it is unlikely to stop there. Trump's deportation offensive is causing tensions with Latin American countries. On Saturday, Mexico had already refused to allow a US military plane carrying deported migrants to land on Mexican territory. Details were not disclosed. Two similar flights with military aircraft, each carrying 80 migrants, successfully flew to Guatemala on Friday. This was the first time in recent times that American military aircraft were used to fly migrants out of the country Trump sees America's sovereignty "under attack" The use of military aircraft to deport migrants is possible because Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border last week, where he sees America's sovereignty, in his own words, "under attack." The Pentagon announced that the army was providing flights to deport more than 5,000 migrants currently housed in deportation centers on the border in Texas and California. A civilian aircraft was also used to deport more than 80 Brazilians without valid residency permits from the United States over the weekend. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry complained about the "degrading treatment" of the deported Brazilians, who were handcuffed and shackled during the flight. The plane was supposed to fly to Belo Horizonte, but had to land in Manaus in the Amazon due to technical problems. The Brazilian government then mobilized an air force plane to ensure onward transport - without shackles. Trump's aggressive deportation policy is provoking tensions and discontent in Latin America. At Colombia's request, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) will hold an urgent meeting in Honduras next Thursday to discuss regional integration, US migration policy and the looming crisis in relations with Washington. Observers, however, warn of lasting damage to relations in the region and a resurgence of anti-Americanism in Latin America.