Trump vows to impose heavy U.S. sanctions, tariffs on Colombia after it turns away deportation planes

President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. would impose wide-ranging sanctions and impose tariffs against Colombia over its refusal to accept U.S. military aircraft with migrants being deported.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States would slap emergency 25 per cent tariffs on all Colombian goods coming into the United States and would raise that to 50 per cent in one week.

Colombia on Sunday turned away two U.S. military planes with migrants being deported as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown, a U.S. official said, in at least the second case of a Latin American nation refusing U.S. military deportation flights.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the practice, suggesting it treated migrants like criminals. In a post on social media platform X, Petro said Colombia would welcome home deported migrants on civilian planes, saying they should be treated with dignity and respect.

Colombia’s decision follows one by Mexico, which also refused a request last week to let a U.S. military aircraft land with migrants.

Petro’s comments add to the growing chorus of discontent in Latin America as Trump’s week-old administration starts mobilizing for mass deportations.

The use of U.S. military aircraft to carry out deportation flights is part of the Pentagon’s response to Trump’s national emergency declaration on immigration on Monday.

In the past, U.S. military aircraft have been used to relocate individuals from one country to another, such as during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.