Trump Administration Holds Off On Colombia Tariffs After Agreement to Accept Deported Migrants

What Happened?

The Trump administration has walked back its tariff threats on Colombia after it said it would impose a hefty tax on goods from the country.

President Donald Trump threatened Colombia with a 25% tariff increase after the country reportedly rejected deportation flights from the U.S. a part of his U.S. southern border actions deemed a national emergency.

Those threats also had the possibility of being raised to 50% after one week, travel bans, visa revocations, and visa sanctions on all Colombian government members and affiliates if Colombia didn't cooperate.

'These measures are just the beginning,' Trump said on Truth Social. '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!'

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on social media in response to Trump, 'Your blockade doesn't scare me.'

He added that Colombia would respond with tariffs on U.S. goods of its own.

But Trump's team announced Sunday that Columbia had reversed course to accept deported migrants being returned on military planes.

In a statement, The White House said, ‘The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump's terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay.’

The tariffs and sanctions 'will be held in reserve' unless Colombia ‘fails to honor this agreement’, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added.

Colombia President Gustavo Petro acknowledged the statement after his administration shared it on social media.

‘There was a win-win here,’ Colombia's ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Garcia-Pena reportedly told media outlets. ‘The United States withdrew the threat of tariffs and Colombia was able to get the United States to accept that the treatment given to our citizens should be dignified.’

President Petro claimed he rejected the deportation flights because the deportees were being transported and treated as criminals as opposed to migrants.

Why it Matters

The U.S. is reportedly one of Colombia's largest trading partners with exports that include bananas, coffee, crude oil, and flowers.

Trump has remained content amid his claims that suggest America’s closest neighbors and largest trading partners are allowing large scales of undocumented migrants and drugs to flood into the U.S.

He looks to carry out his campaign promise that his administration calls ‘the largest massive deportation operation in history.’

As of Sunday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents reportedly made nearly 1,000 arrests.

Hundreds have been flown out of the U.S. on military aircraft.

‘Countries have an obligation to accept repatriation flights,’ according to Reuters from a White House source. ‘The United States is simply sending back the criminals that Colombia sent to the United States.’

How it Affects You

Some economists have reportedly stated that the U.S. could feel ‘shallow’ recession-like impacts of a trade war with places like Colombia and Canada.

Tariffs often lead to higher consumer costs as companies pass those new costs onto them.

Americans await to see how the Trump administration addresses these concerns without straining key relationships with world partners.