Colombian Congressman Slams President's 'Battle Against The Empire' Over Trump Deportations: 'It Lasted Less Than Three Hours' (Exclusive)

A Colombian congressman harshly criticized President Gustavo Petro over his handling of the tariff standoff with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump over the deportation of hundreds of nationals. "Petro's so-called 'battle against the empire' lasted no more than three hours, because, obviously, mistreating Colombia's main trade partner would mean destroying the Colombian economy," Colombian congressman Christian Garcés told The Latin Times.

"That Sunday afternoon and evening were filled with panic for all Colombians, especially in the business sector," he added. "The economic consequences would've been felt by exporters, due to the tariffs imposed by Trump, and by importers, because of the tariffs Petro had promised in response. The economic crisis that would have ensued would have been unprecedented in the country's history."

The conflict seemingly ended when two flights carrying Colombian nationals from the United States landed in Bogotá on Tuesday morning after the Petro administration agreed to take the deportees.

The effects of the diplomatic rift, however, are set to leave scars in the bilateral relations, as well as the regional geopolitical landscape. A top White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Axios on Tuesday, revealed that "other countries began reaching out" after the incident to discuss accepting deportees. "There is more of a willingness to take back their citizens and to express that," the official added, expressing that Trump's stance has seemingly paid off.

As it stands, Colombia could risk partially losing over $800 million in U.S. foreign aid during 2025, according to Manuel Camilo González Vides, a Colombian political analyst and head teacher of foreign affairs at Bogota's Universidad Javeriana, who told The Latin Times that the impasse could lead the Trump administration to view Colombia as an unreliable ally.

Garcés has been one of the most vocal voices against Petro, not only for his reaction to this latest diplomatic episode which he labeled as "irrational" but across other topics such as national security and the country's war on drugs.

During the height of the conflict with the U.S. on Sunday, Garcés published a video on his X account in which he anticipated that Petro's measures would "generate inflation in Colombia, leading to hunger, poverty, and an increased cost of living for all Colombians" and claimed that "Petro does not represent the Colombian people with these decisions, nor in his socialist stance":

In his interview with The Latin Times, Garcés doubled down on his critique of what he described as Petro's ideology-based decisions, which he believes are hurting the country:

"A major issue at the moment is that Colombia is suffering from the national government's radical ideological positions, which don't leave any room for consensus between different branches of power, especially between the government and Congress. Petro's so-called 'battle against the empire' lasted no more than three hours, because, obviously, mistreating Colombia's main trade partner would mean destroying the Colombian economy"

Garcés went on to criticize Petro's handling of the diplomatic conflict through social media, adding that "in an attempt to supposedly defend the dignity of undocumented migrants, he ended up damaging the dignity of all Colombians."

The lawmaker credits much of Petro's attitude to his desire to be a global leader, aspirations that he says are not realistic:

"Petro's tried to reach the global stage by championing the environment and hosting the COP16 (United Nations Biodiversity Conference) in 2024. But his attempts have not resonated with other global leaders because his message is wrapped in a this discourse against the great powers of the world and his anti-business rhetoric. Now, he is trying to position himself through the issue of migration, but he's quickly finding out that he's alone on that front"

Tensions, however, have seemingly subsided as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) has cancelled the emergency meeting it had called after the standoff.