(Refiles so as to add dropped phrase ‘ban’ in paragraph 1)
By Phil Stewart and Oliver Griffin
WASHINGTON/BOGOTA (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned on Sunday he would impose retaliatory measures on Colombia together with tariffs, sanctions and journey bans after the South American nation turned away two U.S. navy plane with migrants being deported as a part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Trump mentioned the motion by Colombian President Gustavo Petro jeopardized U.S. nationwide safety and he has directed his administration to take retaliatory measures.
They embrace imposing emergency 25% tariffs on all items coming into the USA, which is able to go as much as 50% in a single week; a journey ban and visa revocations on Colombian authorities officers and its allies; totally imposing emergency Treasury, banking and monetary sanctions and enhanced border inspections of Colombian nationals.
“These measures are just the beginning,” Trump wrote on Reality Social. “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!”
Colombia’s refusal to just accept the flights is the second case of a Latin American nation refusing U.S. navy deportation flights.
Petro condemned the apply, suggesting it handled migrants like criminals. In a put up on social media platform X, Petro mentioned Colombia would welcome dwelling deported migrants on civilian planes, saying they need to be handled with dignity and respect.
Colombia’s resolution follows one by Mexico, which additionally refused a request final week to let a U.S. navy plane land with migrants.
“The U.S. cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals,” Petro wrote, noting that there have been 15,660 Individuals with out correct immigration standing in Colombia.
Petro’s feedback add to the rising refrain of discontent in Latin America as Trump’s week-old administration begins mobilizing for mass deportations.
Brazil’s overseas ministry late on Saturday condemned “degrading treatment” of Brazilians after migrants had been handcuffed on a industrial deportation flight. Upon arrival, among the passengers additionally reported mistreatment throughout the flight, in keeping with native information studies.
The aircraft, which was carrying 88 Brazilian passengers, 16 U.S. safety brokers, and eight crew members, had been initially scheduled to reach in Belo Horizonte within the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
There, Brazilian officers ordered the removing of {the handcuffs}, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva designated a Brazilian Air Drive (FAB) flight to finish their journey, the federal government mentioned in an announcement Saturday.
The industrial constitution flight was the second this yr from the U.S. carrying undocumented migrants deported again to Brazil and the primary since Trump’s inauguration, in keeping with Brazil’s federal police.
Officers from the U.S. State Division, Pentagon, U.S. Division of Homeland Safety and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
The usage of U.S. navy plane to hold out deportation flights is a part of the Pentagon’s response to Trump’s nationwide emergency declaration on immigration on Monday.
Prior to now, U.S. navy plane have been used to relocate people from one nation to a different, like throughout the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
This has been the primary time in current reminiscence that U.S. navy plane had been used to fly migrants in another country, one U.S. official mentioned.
U.S. navy plane carried out two related flights, every with about 80 migrants, to Guatemala on Friday.
