Colombia Agrees to Trump’s Terms

US President Donald Trump quickly reacted by promising to impose tariffs on Colombian goods and visa restrictions on Colombian officials.

Bogota announced later on Sunday that Petro’s presidential plane would be sent to pick up Colombian nationals slated for deportation. “The government of Colombia, under the direction of President Gustavo Petro, has arranged for the presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of Colombia nationals who were to arrive in the country today in the morning hours, coming in from deportation flights,” Petro’s office said in a statement.

“Colombians, as patriots and subjects of rights, were not and will not be banished from Colombian territory,” the statement said.

In a lengthy post on X on Monday, Petro condemned the coercion from Washington, “You can use your economic power and arrogance to attempt to stage a coup d’etat, like you did with Allende,” the president wrote, referring to the CIA-backed 1973 military coup in Chile, which led to the death of democratically elected President Salvador Allende. 

“But I will die standing by my principles. I’ve endured torture, and I will endure you,” Petro warned. “You will never dominate us.” He promised to impose tariffs on American goods in response to economic restrictions from the US.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt released a statement later on Monday saying that Colombia “has agreed to all of President Trump’s demands, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United

States, including on US military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”

Leavitt added that the drafted tariffs “will be held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement.” Visa restrictions and enhanced border and customs checks will stay in place “until the first planeload of Colombia deportees is successfully returned,” she said.