President Trump expressed his anger on Sunday after Colombia refused to allow two US military flights, which were carrying deported migrants, to land. In response, he vowed to impose sanctions on Colombia and enact a “25% emergency tariff” on goods from the South American nation.
“I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia,” Trump wrote on Sunday.
He went on to claim that the decision was made by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who, according to Trump, is already deeply unpopular among his citizens. The former president added that Petro’s actions have “jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States.”
In retaliation, Trump stated that he would impose “emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States,” with plans to increase it to 50% in a week.
He also suggested a travel ban, revoking visas for Colombian government officials, and sanctions targeting party members and government supporters. Additionally, Trump called for stricter inspections of any Colombian nationals entering the country, as well as financial and banking sanctions.
“These measures are just the beginning,” Trump declared. “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!”
Trump’s fiery post followed after Petro blocked the arrival of the military planes.
In a post on social media, Colombian President Gustavo Petro didn’t outright reject the deportation flights.
Instead, he requested that the US utilize civilian aircraft and establish more humane procedures for handling deportees.
While acknowledging that Colombian migrants couldn’t stay in a country that doesn’t welcome them, he emphasized the importance of treating deportees with “dignity and respect for them and for our country.”
“We will receive our fellow citizens on civilian planes, without treating them like criminals,” Petro said.
{Matzav.com}