The White House said the United States will not move forward with imposing tariffs on Colombia, after the country agreed to accept – without restrictions – deported migrants.
Donald Trump had ordered 25% tariffs on all Colombian goods after his president prevented two US military deportation flights from landing in the country on Sunday.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro initially responded by saying that his country would accept the deportees on “civilian planes, without treating them as criminals.”
A White House statement said Colombia has now agreed to accept migrants arriving on US military aircraft “without restrictions or delays.” Colombia says Washington has agreed to treat its returning citizens with dignity.
On Sunday, Petro refused entry to US military deportation flights, saying the migrants should be returned “with dignity and respect.”
In response, Trump announced “urgent and decisive retaliatory measures” in a post on his social media site Truth Social, including tariffs and visa sanctions.
Pietro responded to X in a post in which he announced his own tariffs and celebrated Colombia's heritage and resilience.
He said: “Your siege does not frighten me, because Colombia, in addition to being a country of beauty, is the heart of the world.”
Within hours, the two sides appeared to have resolved the dispute. The White House said Colombia agreed to “all of President Trump's demands.”
The White House said Trump's proposed tariffs were “fully resolved” and would remain in effect if Colombia did not respect that agreement.
Trump also announced visa sanctions and enhanced checks on Colombians at the border. The White House said that these measures will remain in place “until the first plane carrying Colombian deportees is successfully returned.”
