Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro buckles under Trump’s trade war threat — offers presidential plane for deportation flights

Colombian President Gustavo Petro quickly reversed course about accepting flights of deported migrants from the US after President Donald Trump threatened emergency tariffs of up to 50% on the South American country for refusing to cooperate.

Petro not only acquiesced to Trump’s demands, he even offered up the official Colombian presidential plane to help shuttle migrants back to the country, calling it a response to “the Government’s commitment to guarantee decent conditions.”

“The Government of Colombia, under the direction of President Gustavo Petro, has arranged the presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of the compatriots who were going to arrive in the country today in the morning, coming from deportation flights,” a translated official statement read in part.

The short-lived battle of wills between the world leaders kicked off this weekend when the US sent a pair of military flights loaded with deported Colombian migrants as part of the Trump administration’s pledge to crack down on illegal aliens.

A defiant Petro initially refused entry of the Colombian migrants from the US, and insisted the US cannot treat those being deported as “criminals.”

The first round of deportations under Trump have targeted migrants with criminal records and deportation orders.

Petro further said “The United States must establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them.”

In response, Trump swiftly enacted a wave of retaliatory measures, including ordering a 25% tariff be imposed on all Colombian goods coming into the US.

“These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!” Trump warned, noting that the tariffs would jump to 50% after a week