Trump Immigration Policy And Tariff War: US President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tax on imports from Colombia in response to its refusal to accept deportation flights carrying illegal immigrants and plans to increase it to 50 percent by next week. In response to Trump, Colombia has also announced to impose 25 percent tax on American goods. Colombia is historically one of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America and has a free trade agreement with the United States. In such a situation, the question arises whether Trump is no longer in a mood to spare anyone, whether he is a friend or an enemy.
Why did the conflict increase?
Trump took office on a promise to crack down and rapidly deport aliens living in the United States illegally, but he faced opposition from Petro, elected in 2022 as the first leftist leader of Latin America’s fourth-largest economy. Have had to face. Petro previously wrote on Trump also admitted that Colombia did not allow two American planes to land in its territory.
Will not take its citizens
The Colombian government said it was ready to send its presidential plane to the United States to transport “with dignity” migrants who had been deported by the US and refused entry to its territory. Petro also said he was prepared to allow civilian US flights carrying deported migrants to land, provided that their passengers were not treated “like criminals”.
siege on American citizens
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Petro had authorized the flights, but “he declined to do so once the planes were in the air.” Meanwhile, the Colombian leader said there are more than 15,600 undocumented Americans living in his country and urged them to “regularize their status”, despite conducting raids to arrest or deport these US citizens. The possibility was ruled out. The controversy comes days before Rubio travels to Latin America on his first trip as a top US diplomat. However, he is not going to Colombia.
Most illegal immigrants from Latin American countries
Deportation threats have put Trump on a potential collision course with Latin American governments. An estimated 11 million illegal immigrants to the United States are from Latin American countries. Brazil is also led by a leftist president. Brazil also on Friday expressed displeasure over the Trump administration’s treatment of dozens of Brazilian immigrants sent back to their country. The migrants, who were deported under a bilateral agreement before Trump’s return, were sent on the flight in handcuffs. Brazil called it a “gross disregard” for the basic rights of those immigrants.
Other countries are also angry
“On the plane they didn’t give us water, our hands and feet were tied, they didn’t even let us go to the bathroom. It was very hot there,” 31-year-old computer technician Edgar da Silva Moura, one of the 88 deported migrants, told AFP. Some people even fainted.” Several deportation flights have attracted public and media attention since Trump’s return to office, although such actions were also common under the previous administration. However, breaking with prior practice, the Trump administration has begun using military aircraft to deport some illegal immigrants, with at least one plane landing in Guatemala this week. Many Latin American countries have welcomed their citizens with open hearts. These immigrants had been living and working in the United States for many years.
Mexico made special preparations
The Mexican government said it planned to open nine shelters for its citizens deported from the United States and three more for deported foreigners under a program called “Mexico Embraces You.” President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government would also provide humanitarian aid to migrants deported from other countries before sending them back. Honduras is a Central American country and is also a major source of immigrants to the United States. He said that he is starting a program called “Brother, Come Home”, in which illegal immigrants coming from America will be helped.