Deportation flights from the US to Colombia resume following showdown that almost led to a trade war

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(28 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bogota, Colombia - 28 January 2025
1. Deportees leaving El Dorado International Airport, including children who left from a separate door with their faces covered
2. Deported woman, sitting on the floor, crying
3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Wolfran Vazquez, deported Colombian national: ++STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT AND PARTIALLY OVERLAID BY SHOTS 4 AND 5++
“They had boarded us on an American Hercules aircraft, in chains with no food. It was bound for Colombia, and I don't know what happened. They sent us back. Surely it was President Gustavo Petro, who sent a plane for us. They handcuffed us to the vehicle. When they were arriving to the Colombian plane, they removed the handcuffs inside the bus so the Colombian Foreign Minister would not see the inhumane treatment they were giving us.”
4. Various of deportees in airport
5. Members of the Colombian Red Cross awaiting the arrival of the deportees arriving from the United States
STORYLINE:
Deportation flights between the U.S. and Colombia resumed on Tuesday, following a dispute between the two countries that nearly led to a trade war.

Colombia sent two planes from its air force to Houston and El Paso on Monday to pick up the migrants whose deportation had been delayed over the weekend, as well as dozens of others who had deportations pending.

In total, 201 migrants were transported to Bogota on Tuesday, according to Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Some of the migrants arriving in Bogota’s airport spoke with journalists, and said they had been in the United States for less than two weeks, spending most of their time in detention centers.

Wofran Vazquez, one of deportees, described the treatment when being deported as "inhumane."

The diplomatic drama, which began over the weekend, provided clues on how the Trump administration would deal with countries standing in the way of its immigration policies.

President Gustavo Petro welcomed the migrants in a message on X, saying they are now “free” and “in a country that loves them.”

“Migrants are not delinquents” Petro wrote. “They are human beings who want to work and get ahead in life.”

The disagreement between both nations started on Sunday when Petro turned back two U.S. military flights carrying more than 100 migrants who had been expelled from the United States.

He wrote on the social media platform that Colombia would only accept deportation flights when the United States had established protocols that ensured the “dignified treatment” of expelled migrants.

U.S. President Donald Trump responded with a post of his own on Truth Social, in which he called for 25% emergency tariffs on Colombian exports to the United States, and also said that the U.S. visas of Colombian government officials would be revoked, while goods coming from the South American country would face enhanced customs inspections.

The U.S. State Department also said that it would stop issuing visas to Colombian travelers until deportation flights resumed.

Colombia received more than 120 deportation flights last year, but those were charter flights operated by U.S. government contractors.

A deal between both countries was made on Sunday night to resume the removal flights, with the White House saying in a statement that Colombia had “agreed to all of President Trump’s terms,” including the arrival of deportees on military flights.

On Monday, Trump administration officials described it as a victory for the United States.

AP video shot by Marko Alvarez

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