WASHINGTON — The United States will not impose the threatened tariffs and sanctions on Colombia after reaching an agreement, the White House said in a statement on Sunday night.
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,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Colombia’s government released a statement, confirming the agreement: “The government of Colombia reports that we have overcome the impasse with the government of the United States.”
The news comes after President Donald Trump posted threats against Colombia on Truth Social on Sunday after two U.S. military repatriation flights carrying undocumented immigrants were not allowed to land.
Trump responded back, aiming his anger at Colombian President Gustavo Petro, alleging that his decision “has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States.”
“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. This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people,” Trump wrote.
There has been no confirmation that all, if any, passengers aboard the plane were criminals.
Trump said he instructed his administration to impose an emergency 25% tariff on goods coming into the United States from Colombia, and he threatened to raise it in a week to 50%.
The President also threatened to issue a travel ban and immediately revoke the visas of Colombian government officials as well as of all of the country’s allies and supporters.
In a statement posted on X on Sunday afternoon, Petro offered to send his presidential plane to bring deportees to Colombia in a “dignified” manner.
The statement also said that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act that Trump had drafted would not go into effect unless Colombia failed to honor the agreement with the U.S.
“The visa sanctions issued by the State Department and enhanced inspections from Customs and Border Protection will remain in effect until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned,” it said.
