WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has halted his threat of imposing tariffs and sanctions on Colombia. The decision was taken after an agreement with Colombia President Gustavo Petro, in which Petro agreed to the “unrestricted acceptance” of Colombian migrants via US military flights.
The agreement come after a dispute between the two countries over the US’s mass deportation policy of migrants turned into a trade war. The Trump administration and Colombia had threatened to impose new tariffs on each other’s goods.
“Colombia has accepted all of President Trump’s condition, including allowing Colombian migrants to be returned via US military aircraft,” White House Press Secretary Carolina Levitt said. She also said that if Colombia does not comply with the agreement, the prepared tariffs and sanctions will be implemented with immediate effect.
How did the dispute start?
The dispute began when President petro accused the US administration of treating Colombian migrants “like criminals”. Petro said his government would not such migrants unless they were returned “with homan dignity”.
Trump responded to these comments by threatening to impose a 25% tariff on all goods imported from Colombia, which was planned to be increased to 50% a week later. Trump also announced the cancellation of visas and a travel ban for Colombian government officials and their supporters.
Terms of the agreement:
Colombia eventually accepted the Trump administration’s term, saying it would allow full repatriation of migrants via US military flights. However, Petro demanded a protocol be established to ensure that the migrants were “treated with dignity”.
Petro also said he would provide a presidential plane to ensure the “dignified return” of Colombian migrants who are being deported from the US. Along with this, he ordered a 25% tariff hike on US products, which could further escalate trade tensions between the two countries.
Opposition to US policy:
Donald Trump has taken a tough stance on illegal migration under his administration. He declared a national emergency on the US-Mexico border and involved the US military in the deportation process. However, Latin American countries have opposed this militarized deportation policy of Trump.
Countries like Brazil and Maxico have strongly criticized the treatment meted out to these deported migrants. Last week, for the first time in decades, Mexico refused to accept a deportation flight.
Message from the Trump administration.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio defended the term administration’s policy on the controversy. He said, “it is the responsibility of every country to take back its citizens war living in the US illegally.”
he also illeged that president Petro had initially given approval for the depotation flights but later revoked that permission while the planes were in the air. “We are committed to strengthening our board