Key Takeaways
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed the arrival of the first deportees in Colombia.
- The deportees were treated like criminals, but a new agreement between Colombia and the US has changed that.
- The Colombian Aerospace Force will bring back more undocumented migrants in the coming days.
Bogota: Two Colombian Aerospace Force planes with migrants deported from the United States landed Tuesday in the country’s capital Bogota, Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed.
The Colombian nationals were picked up in Houston, Texas, and San Diego, California, on the instructions of Petro.
“They are Colombians, they are free and dignified and they are in their homeland where they are loved. The migrant is not a criminal, he is a human being who wants to work and progress,” Petro posted on the social platform X, along with photos of the Colombian nationals walking out of planes.
Petro on Sunday denied entry of U.S. military aircraft carrying the deportees, saying they were being treated like criminals. The move sparked a harsh response from his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, who threatened to cancel the visas of all Colombian government officials and slap 50 percent tariffs on imports from Colombia.
The two sides then reached an agreement that Colombian planes would transport the deportees without handcuffs, under safe and dignified conditions, as requested by Colombia’s government.
Among the deported Colombians were 26 minors, the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare said.
Colombian immigration officials and medical personnel traveled with the deportees, who are to benefit from a special credit program to help them reintegrate into Colombian society.
In the coming days, the Colombian Aerospace Force is expected to bring back more undocumented migrants as the new U.S. administration cracked down on irregular migration.
