US President Donald Trump has announced 25% tariffs on all products from Colombia, blaming Colombian President Gustavo Petro for blocking two US military planes carrying deported migrants.
According to the BBC, Trump said these tariffs would start right away, and within a week, they would rise to 50%. He also announced travel bans and visa cancellations for Colombian officials and their supporters.
The issue began when President Petro refused to let US military planes land in Colombia with deported migrants, saying migrants should be treated with “dignity” and returned on civilian flights, not military planes.
The BBC shared that Petro claimed over 15,000 Americans are illegally living in Colombia, and he wouldn’t deport them harshly like the US government.
Trump responded by implementing strong measures, including stricter customs checks on Colombian goods and people entering the US. BBC reports that these actions could raise the price of everyday items like coffee, bananas, and avocados in the US since Colombia supplies a large amount of these products.
The BBC highlighted how these escalating tensions come as Trump ramps up his immigration policies, including mass deportations and tighter controls at the southern border.
On Saturday, Vice President JD Vance defended Trump’s actions, saying the US doesn’t need “dumb immigration policies” just because it was built by immigrants.
Experts told the BBC this dispute could strain US-Colombia relations, making it harder to work together on controlling migration through South America.
Tens of thousands of migrants pass through Colombia heading toward the US each year, often relying on criminal networks. The fallout from this conflict might disrupt cooperation on these issues.
Credit : BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxny0lnyepo