President Donald Trump and deported migrants in Colombia. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images | Colombian government.)
"They are Colombians, they are free and dignified and they are in their homeland where they are loved," Colombia President Gustavo Petro wrote on X with images of the migrants disembarking a flight.
"The migrant is not a criminal, he is a human being who wants to work and progress, to live life."
The Colombian government hailed the returns as Petro fulfilling his commitments and said it is working on a "structured and accessible credit plan" to support the migrants' reintegration.
This weekend, American officials sent two flights of Colombian illegal aliens as part of Trump's ongoing deportation program. Petro rejected the flights, writing that the U.S. cannot "treat Colombian migrants as criminals."
Trump immediately clapped back, writing in a Truth Social post he was going to slap 25% tariffs on all goods from Colombia, a travel ban on Colombian government officials and other steep financial sanctions. He said the tariffs would reach as high as 50% by next week and insisted the migrants being sent back were "illegal criminals."
At first, Petro retaliated with his own 25% tariffs on U.S. goods coming from Colombia. Petro had insisted he would not accept the return of migrants who were not treated with "dignity and respect" and who had arrived shackled or on military planes.
Colombians deported from the United States arrive at El Dorado International Airport in Bogota. (Reuters/Luisa Gonzalez)
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Trump officials cheered the deal as a victory and said Trump used Colombia as an example of U.S. power, while Colombian officials have said the agreement is a win for both sides. Dozens of frustrated Colombians had long-awaited visa appointments at the U.S. embassy in Bogota canceled on Monday.
Colombia is one of the top recipients of U.S. aid in the world due to a security partnership. Since 2000, Colombia has received more than $13 billion in foreign assistance from the Departments of Defense and State and from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), largely focused on counternarcotics efforts, continued implementation of the government’s 2016 peace accord with the FARC rebel group, integration of Venezuelan migrants and refugees, and environmental programs.
Fox News' Morgan Phillips, Andrea Margolis, Bill Melugin, Lorraine Taylor, Landon Mion, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/colombia-welcomes-deported-illegal-migrants-after-losing-public-spat-trump