Everything We Know About the 110 US-Deported Immigrants Landing in Colombia

The first of two flights carrying Colombian nationals deported from the United States landed in Bogotá on Tuesday morning following a heated diplomatic standoff between the Trump and Petro administrations on Sunday.

The confrontation began when the Colombian president turned down two military aircrafts containing the aforementioned migrants. The move prompted swift retaliation from Washington, including visa restrictions for Colombian officials and citizens and threats of punitive tariffs on Colombian exports. Initially, President Trump announced a 25% tariff on all Colombian goods, with plans to escalate to 50% within a week. Petro responded with a counter-threat of similar tariffs on U.S. goods.

The impasse culminated with Petro eventually accepting to take the migrants in, albeit with aircrafts provided by the Colombian Air Force. In all, a total of 110 deportees arrived at Bogota from U.S. military airfields in Texas and California. They carried individuals described by U.S. officials as undocumented immigrants or those who had violated immigration laws.

The deportees included children, elderly individuals, and adults who had been denied asylum or caught in irregular migration situations. According to Astrid Cáceres, director of Colombia's Family Welfare Institute interviewed by local news site El Tiempo, 26 passengers were minors.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro took to his X account to emphasize that the deportees were not criminals, calling for a "dignified" treatment of his compatriots. Images shared by Petro on social media showed passengers aboard the planes unshackled, a contrast to U.S. practices in prior deportation operations. "The migrant is not a criminal; they are a free human being," he stated:

The U.S. had previously agreed to lift visa and trade sanctions as long as Colombia honored the agreement reached on Sunday, warning that visa sanctions and "enhanced inspections from Customs and Border Protection will continue until the first plane with deportees lands in the South American country."

Following the successful return of the first deportation flight, the standoff is seemingly resolved. Nevertheless, analysts have warned that the conflict sets a bad precedent for the relationship between both governments. The Latin Times spoke on Monday with Colombian political analyst and international affairs expert Manuel Camilo González Vides:

"There's now concern that this precedent could impact U.S. foreign aid to Colombia, mainly the $380 million related to security and anti-narcotics efforts, as well as the $413 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This impasse could lead the Trump administration to view Colombia as an unreliable ally"

The episode raised concerns around the Latin American region as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) called for an "emergency" meeting of member states for Thursday. The meeting was called by Honduran President Xiomara Castro, the bloc's current holder of the rotational presidency, who also confirmed that Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who had requested the meeting amid the confrontation with the Trump administration, will take part in it.