INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The United States and Colombia stumbled towards a trade war on Sunday as President Donald Trump threatened tariffs and sanctions on the
country to punish it for turning away military aircraft bring migrants being deported as part of his immigration crackdown, Reuters
reported.Colombia, the third biggest United States trading partner in Latin America, quickly responded, with leftist President Gustavo
Petro first threatening a 50% tariff on United States items and later on posting on X that he had directed his trade minister to increase
tariffs on United States imports by 25%
Colombia is the 2nd Latin American country to decline United States military deportation flights
Trump&& 's punitive action demonstrated his more muscular United States diplomacy and his restored determination to force countries to flex
to his will.Trump wrote on Truth Social that Petro&& 's refusal to accept the flights endangered United States national security.The
vindictive measures consist of imposing 25% tariffs on all Colombian products coming into the United States , which will go up to 50% in one
week; a travel restriction and visa cancellations on Colombian federal government officials; and emergency situation treasury, banking and
financial sanctions.Trump said he would also direct improved border examinations of Colombian nationals and cargo.&& These measures are
simply the beginning,& & he composed
& We will not allow the Colombian Government to break its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they
forced into the United States!&& He later on published an image of himself on Truth Social in a pinstripe fit and a fedora in front of a
sign reading FAFO, a common slang acronym for && Fuck Around and Find Out&&
America will & no longer be lied to nor made the most of,& & United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a declaration, including
that Petro had licensed these flights but then canceled his authorization when the airplanes remained in the air.A State Department
spokesperson said the United States has suspended visa processing at the United States embassy in Bogota, read the report.Trump declared
illegal migration a nationwide emergency and enforced a sweeping crackdown because taking office last Monday
He directed the United States military to help with border security, released a broad ban on asylum and took steps to restrict citizenship
for kids born upon United States soil.Colombia&& 's Petro condemned the practice on Sunday, suggesting it cured migrants like criminals
In a post on social media platform X, Petro said Colombia would invite home deported migrants on civilian planes.He likewise used his
governmental aircraft to facilitate the && dignified return& & of Colombian nationals.Petro stated even though there were 15,660 Americans
without legal immigration status in Colombia, he would never ever perform a raid to return handcuffed Americans to the United States && We
are the opposite of the Nazis,& & he wrote.Mexico also refused a demand recently to let a United States military airplane land with
migrants.Trump did not take comparable action against Mexico, the biggest United States trading partner, but has actually said he is
thinking about enforcing 25% tasks on imports from Canada and Mexico on Feb
1 to require more action against prohibited immigrants and fentanyl flowing into the U.S, Reuters reported.A White House source said that
the situation intensified quickly after Petro altered his mind about accepting the flights, with Trump taking && immediate action.&&& &
Nations have a responsibility to accept repatriation flights,& & the source said when asked if Trump was using Colombia to set an example
&& The United States is merely sending back the lawbreakers that Colombia sent out to the United States.&& The United States is Colombia
& 's biggest trading partner, mostly due to a 2006 free trade agreement that created $33.8 billion in two-way trade in 2023 and a $1.6
billion United States trade surplus, according to United States Census Bureau data.But Colombia ranks just 23rd among United States
trading partners, which suggests it may have more to lose.Alejo Czerwonko, chief investment officer for emerging markets Americas at UBS
Global Wealth Management, stated Colombia relied on access to the United States market for about a 3rd of its exports, or about 4% of its
GDP.&& In addition, the Petro-Trump relationship has started on the wrong foot, which could signify additional difficulties ahead,& &
Czerwonko told Reuters.Colombia&& 's leading 2023 exports to the United States were heavy crude oil, gold, coffee, cut roses, aluminum
windows and diesel fuel, Census Bureau data revealed
Its top imports from the United States were gasoline, civilian aircraft, corn, naphthas, and soybean solids.Petro&& 's comments added to
the growing chorus of discontent in Latin America as Trump&& 's week-old administration starts mobilizing for mass deportations.Brazil&& 's
foreign ministry on Saturday condemned && breaking down treatment& & of Brazilians after migrants were handcuffed on a business
Upon arrival, some travelers likewise reported mistreatment throughout the flight, according to local news reports.The airplane, which was
carrying 88 Brazilian travelers, 16 United States security agents, and eight team members, had been initially set up to arrive in Belo
Horizonte in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.However, at an unscheduled stop due to technical problems in Manaus, capital of
Amazonas, Brazilian officials purchased elimination of the handcuffs, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva designated a Brazilian Air
Force (FAB) flight to finish their journey, the federal government stated in a statement on Saturday.The commercial charter flight was the
2nd this year from the United States bring undocumented migrants deported back to Brazil and the very first considering that Trump&& 's
inauguration, according to Brazil&& 's federal police.United States officials did not reply to requests for comment about Brazil.The use of
United States military airplane to carry out deportation flights belongs to the Pentagon&& 's action to Trump&& 's nationwide emergency
declaration on immigration on Monday.In the past, United States military aircraft have actually been utilized to move people from one
nation to another, like throughout the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021
This has been the very first time in recent memory that United States military aircraft were utilized to fly migrants out of the nation,
one United States official said.United States military airplane performed two similar flights, each with about 80 migrants, to Guatemala
on Friday, Reuters reported.The post Trump imposes tariffs, sanctions on Colombia after it declines deportation flights first appeared on
