Colombia Backs Down on Deportation Standoff, US Pauses Tariff Threat

The White House and Colombia reached an agreement Sunday night over the deportation of Colombian nationals who entered the U.S. illegally, averting threatened tariffs.

The deal came hours after a heated exchange where Colombian President Gustavo Petro had denounced President Donald Trump's "arrogance" and threatened matching tariffs, while Trump accused Colombia of jeopardizing U.S. national security.

Colombia will now accept "unrestricted" returns of its citizens, "including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

In response, the U.S. will hold off on implementing planned sanctions against Colombia, though these remain "in reserve" if the agreement isn't honored, Leavitt said.

Newsweek reached out to the White House, U.S. State Department and Colombian Foreign Ministry for comment by email on Sunday.

Why It Matters

Trump initiated his much-promised plan to deport unauthorized or undocumented immigrants within the first week of his new administration. The first flights, which used military planes, started taking off on Friday last week.

The White House published photos of migrants boarding the planes along with the declaration, "deportation flights have begun."

Trump made immigration a central theme of his successful presidential campaign and Americans largely support his mass deportation plans.

A New York Times/Ipsos poll, carried out from January 2 to 10, found 55 percent of voters strongly or somewhat supported such plans. Eighty-eight percent supported "Deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have criminal records." Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agreed that the immigration system is broken.

What To Know

Colombian President Gustavo Petro denied the flights with deported Colombian migrants into his country, writing on X, formerly Twitter: "The US cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I deny the entry of American planes carrying Colombian migrants into our territory. The United States must establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them."

In response, Trump announced a raft of punishments against Colombia, writing on his Truth Social platform: "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 claimed that the refusal "has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States," so he announced several punitive measures against Colombia, which he said would be taken "immediately."

The announced U.S. measures include immediate 25 percent tariffs set to increase to 50 precent within a week, visa restrictions on Colombian government officials and their allies, and enhanced customs inspections.

"These measures are just the beginning. 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 wrote.

What People Are Saying

Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "You will never see me burning a US flag or carrying out a raid to return handcuffed illegal immigrants to the US. True libertarians will never attack human freedom. We are the opposite of the Nazis."

Harry Sisson, a Democrat content creator, wrote on X: "Trump just announced huge penalties on Colombia. Everything just got more expensive for you and your family. There are diplomatic ways to work with countries but instead, Trump does crap like this."

Journalist Yashar Ali wrote on X: "Not only do 17% of US coffee imports come from Colombia...Colombia is also the largest supplier of cut flowers to the United States. Valentine's Day is in 18 days."

Ed Krassenstein, a Trump-critical influencer, wrote on X: "This move is expected to lead to price hikes for American consumers on everyday essentials and commodities, including gasoline, coffee, flowers, precious stones and metals, trees, fruits, nuts, and crude petroleum. The economic impact of these tariffs could ripple through multiple industries, driving up costs for households across the country."

What Happens Next

The White House announced Sunday night that Colombia has agreed to the "unrestricted acceptance" of immigrants who entered the US illegally from Colombia, with President Donald Trump suspending plans for a 25% tariff "unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement."

"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," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "Based on this agreement, the fully drafted IEEPA tariffs and sanctions will be held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement."

While tariffs and financial sanctions are now paused, Leavitt noted that visa sanctions against Colombian officials and stricter customs inspections of Colombian nationals and cargo ships ordered by Trump earlier Sunday will remain in effect "until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned."

Update, 1/26/25 at 11:15 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information, headline and statement from the White House.

Update, 1/26/25 at 3:25 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.

Update, 1/26/25 at 3:10 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and reactions.