Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro
Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro AFP

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) has cancelled an emergency meeting after Sunday's tariff standoff between the U.S. and Colombia was solved.

Honduras, which holds the bloc's rotational presidency at the moment, confirmed that the meeting, which was set to be attended by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, will no longer take place. "Migration" and "Latin American and Caribbean unity" were two of the three topics listed on the agenda, the other one being "Environment."

The Honduran Foreign Ministry, however, made reference to the U.S. deportation operation, saying they "pose a concern that must be addressed objectively and responsibly."

The standoff sent shockwaves through the regional geopolitical landscape as mass deportations are set to play a salient role in relations with the Trump administration. The flights carrying Colombian nationals deported from the country landed in Bogota, ending the confrontation, which began after the Colombian president turned down two military aircrafts carrying 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. The deportees included children, elderly individuals, and adults who had been denied asylum or caught in irregular migration situations

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:

Brazil has also criticized the way deportations are being conducted, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva filing a complaint before the Trump administration over the conditions of dozens of Brazilians returned to the country.

"A request for explanations will be submitted to the U.S. government about the degrading treatment the flight passengers were subjected to," the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said on X. Infobae reported that after landing in the Brazilian city of Manaos to refuel, the airplane's air conditioning system experienced malfunctioning, which led passengers to rise up. Some of them even opened the emergency door and walked through the wing in protest.

"Not even a dog deserved to be treated like this," a deportee said after landing. "I spent 50 hours in handcuffs without proper meals. I haven't showered in five days," he added.

Other Latin American countries are seemingly taking a different approach. One of them is El Salvador, which is reportedly negotiating a deal with the Trump administration to receive deportees from third countries, CBS News reported.

Concretely, the governments are working on an agreement for the Central American nation to be designated as a "safe third country." It would entail it taking migrants from other countries and prevent them from requesting asylum in the U.S.

Moreover, different countries in the Americas are reportedly getting in touch with the Trump administration to convey their willingness to accept deportees following Sunday's events.

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