On Sunday, the White House declared victory in the showdown between Colombia and the United States over the acceptance of flights for deported migrants. This came after President Donald Trump had threatened to impose steep tariffs on Colombian imports as well as other sanctions.

In a statement released late on Sunday, Karoline L. Leavitt, the press secretary, said that “the Government of Colombia has accepted all of President Trump’s terms including the unconditional acceptance of all illegal immigrants from Colombia returning from the United States including those who return via U.S. military planes, without restriction or delay.”

Leavitt stated that the tariff orders, which would have imposed 25% tariffs on Colombian goods and increased to 50% within a week, will not be signed. However, Leavitt added that Trump would continue visa restrictions for Colombian officials, as well as enhanced customs checks of goods coming from the country, “until a first planeload Colombian deportees has been successfully returned.”

The Colombian government did not immediately respond.

In a series on social media, Trump and Colombian president Gustavo Petro defended their views about migration. The latter accused Trump of not treating deportees with dignity and announced a 25% increase in Colombian duties on U.S. products in response.

Trump ordered visa restrictions, 25% tariffs on Colombian goods that would rise to 50% within a week and other retaliatory actions sparked from Petro’s refusal to accept two U.S. military planes bound for Colombia carrying migrants.

Trump claimed that the measures were needed because Petro’s “mistake” had “jeopardized the national security of the U.S.”

Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform: “These are only the beginning.” “We won’t allow the Colombian government to break its legal obligations in regards to accepting and returning the Criminals that they forced into the United States.”

The State Department had already suspended the processing of visas in the U.S. Embassy’s Bogota office.

Rubio stated that the restrictions would continue “until Colombia accepts its obligation to return its own citizens.”

Petro announced earlier in the day that his government will not accept flights with migrants who have been deported from the U.S., until the Trump Administration creates a protocol which treats them “dignity.” One of the posts included a video showing migrants reported to be deported to Brazil, walking on the tarmac while wearing restraints around their hands and legs.

Petro stated that “a migrant was not a criminal, and must be treated as a human deserves.” “I returned the U.S. Military planes carrying Colombian migrants. In civilian planes we will welcome our fellow citizens without being treated as criminals.”

Petro, in a post on X after Trump’s announcement said that he ordered the “foreign minister to increase import tariffs from the U.S. 25%.”

Colombia has been the U.S.’s most important ally in Latin America for many years. Their relationship has soured since Petro, Colombia’s first leftist President in 2022, sought to distance himself from the U.S.

According to Witness at the Border (a group that tracks flight information), Colombia received 475 deportation planes from the U.S. between 2020 and 2024. It ranked fifth behind Guatemala. Honduras. Mexico. And El Salvador. It accepted 124 flights of deportation in 2024.

Colombia was also one of the first countries to accept deportation flights funded by the United States from Panama last year.

The U.S. Government did not immediately respond to a comment request from The Associated Press about aircraft and protocols used for deportations into Colombia.

A senior official of the administration told AP that “this is a message that we send to countries, that they have an obligation” to accept repatriation flight. The official spoke under the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized by law to speak publicly about this issue.

Rubio said in a press release that Petro “cancelled his authorization” to fly the planes while it was in the air.

In recent years, Colombians have become a significant presence at the U.S.-Mexico border. This is partly due to a visa system that allows them fly directly to Mexico without having to trek through the dangerous Darien Gap. The Colombians ranked fourth in the number of arrests made for illegal border crossings over a period of 12 months, ending September. They were behind Mexicans and Guatemalans.

Mexico does not impose visa restrictions for Colombians as it has on Venezuelans.

In a later statement, the government of Petro announced that its presidential aircraft was available to help facilitate the return and ensure “dignified” conditions for migrants who had arrived hours earlier aboard the U.S. Military planes.

In a series of measures to fulfill Trump’s promise to crackdown on illegal immigration made during his campaign, the government has deployed active duty military to secure the border and to carry out deportations.

Two C-17 cargo aircraft of the U.S. Air Force carrying migrants deported from the U.S. landed in Guatemala early on Friday morning. Two deportation flights from the U.S. Air Force to Honduras carried 193 migrants.

Trump announced “urgent and definitive retaliatory actions” and explained that he had ordered tariffs, “A Travel Ban, and immediate Visa Revocations”, against Colombian officials and their allies.

Trump wrote that “Visa Sanctions” will apply to “All Party Members and Family Members of the Colombian government.” He didn’t specify which party was in question or give any other details about the travel and visa restrictions.

Trump said that Colombians would face increased customs inspections.

Trump’s actions seem to undermine his goal of reducing his country’s deficit in trade. Colombia, unlike Mexico or China is one of few countries that has a $1.4 billion trade deficit with the U.S.

According to the U.S. grain council, Colombia is the second largest buyer of corn and corn-based feed in the U.S., and helped boost U.S. commodities exports to over $733 million from states such as Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska last year.

Exports in the United States have been boosted by a two decade-old trend.