BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Deportation flights between the U.S. and Colombia resumed on Tuesday, following a dispute between the two countries that nearly led to a trade war.
The diplomatic drama, which began over the weekend, provided clues on how the Trump administration would deal with countries standing in the way of its immigration policies.
Two Colombian air force planes carrying more than 200 migrants who were expelled from the U.S. landed at Bogota’s International Airport on Tuesday.
President Gustavo Petro welcomed the migrants in a message on X, saying they are now “free” and “in a country that loves them.”
“Migrants are not delinquents” Petro wrote. “They are human beings who want to work and get ahead in life.”
The disagreement between both nations started on Sunday when Petro turned back two U.S. military flights carrying more than 100 migrants who had been expelled from the United States.
Petro also shared a video on X at the time that showed another group of deportees reportedly arriving in Brazil with shackles on their legs. He wrote on the social media platform that Colombia would only accept deportation flights when the United States had established protocols that ensured the “dignified treatment” of expelled migrants.
U.S. President Donald Trump responded with a post of his own on Truth Social, in which he called for 25% emergency tariffs on Colombian exports to the United States, and also said that the U.S. visas of Colombian government officials would be revoked, while goods coming from the South American country would face enhanced customs inspections.
The U.S. State Department also said that it would stop issuing visas to Colombian travelers until deportation flights resumed. Colombia received more than 120 deportation flights last year, but those were charter flights operated by U.S. government contractors.
A deal between both countries was made on Sunday night to resume the removal flights, with the White House saying in a statement that Colombia had “agreed to all of President Trump’s terms,” including the arrival of deportees on military flights.
On Monday, Trump administration officials described it as a victory for the United States.
Colombia sent two planes from its air force to Houston and El Paso on Monday to pick up the migrants whose deportation had been delayed over the weekend, as well as dozens of others who had deportations pending. In total, 201 migrants were transported to Bogota on Tuesday, according to Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Some of the migrants arriving in Bogota’s airport spoke with journalists, and said they had been in the United States for less than two weeks, spending most of their time in detention centers.
“We went for the American dream, and we ended up living the American nightmare” said Carlos Gómez, a migrant from the city of Barranquilla who left Colombia two weeks ago, flew to Mexico, and crossed the border illegally into California, with the help of smugglers.
Gomez said that he turned himself in to the border patrol, and requested an asylum hearing. But he was held for seven days in detention centers, before he was sent back to Colombia. He made the journey with his 17-year-old son.
“It’s horrible what they are doing with migrants,” he said. “We only want a better future for our children.”
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