Colombia has offered to cover the costs of the “dignified” deportation of its citizens from the United States, the country’s foreign ministry announced on Friday, January 31. This comes just a week after a heated exchange between Presidents Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump over the removal of undocumented Colombian migrants.
The dispute saw both leaders threaten major trade tariffs of up to 50 percent, while the U.S. embassy in Bogotá halted visa processing from Monday to Friday in response to Petro’s refusal to allow U.S. military planes to repatriate Colombian migrants.
Petro criticised the U.S. for treating deported migrants like criminals, claiming they were placed in shackles and handcuffs.
However, in what appears to be a concession to Trump’s demands, Colombia’s foreign ministry stated on Friday that it had proposed to Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump’s special envoy for Latin America, that Bogotá would “immediately assume the transfer of all citizens deported by the United States,” covering transportation expenses.
Petro insisted that his government would not allow deported migrants to be returned in handcuffs. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Colombian military and civilian aircraft repatriated the first groups of migrants to Bogotá.
According to Petro, hundreds of Colombians, including children, were returned in “dignified” conditions, adding that none of them were “confirmed criminals.”
Colombia expects the return of approximately 27,000 migrants whose deportation orders have been signed in the last six months by either the Trump administration or that of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, a Colombian presidential source told AFP.
Trump has pledged to launch the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, aiming to expel millions of undocumented immigrants, many from Latin America.
The U.S. remains Colombia’s largest trade partner and has provided millions of dollars in aid over the years to combat drug trafficking and terrorism.
