During President Donald Trump’s first week in office, he launched various controversial executive orders and policy changes targeting immigration, trade, and foreign relations. These included a crackdown on undocumented immigrants, travel restrictions for several countries, and the looming threat of steep tariffs. One of the earliest clashes arose between the United States and Colombia, ignited by Trump’s sudden move to escalate the deportation of Latin American immigrants.
The U.S. sought to use military aircraft to transport deportees back to Colombian territory, raising significant political and sovereignty concerns. Colombian President Gustavo Petro objected strongly, blocking these U.S. military planes from landing. Petro argued that Colombia would only accept deportation flights if migrants were treated “with dignity and respect,” highlighting both humanitarian and jurisdictional objections to the U.S.’s unilateral approach.
The Trump administration retaliated against Colombia’s resistance, announcing a series of punitive measures: 25% tariffs on Colombian goods, a travel ban for Colombian citizens, visa cancellations for Colombian diplomats, and the suspension of visa processing. These economic and diplomatic escalations placed intense pressure on the Colombian government.
Ultimately, Colombia conceded, agreeing to accept migrant flights under the condition that the punitive U.S. measures be suspended. The Trump administration touted this concession as an American victory, reinforcing its stance on immigration and its willingness to aggressively force other nations into compliance. This conflict served as yet another example of the Trump administration’s harsh tactics and negligence for international diplomacy, inciting further tensions throughout Latin America.
Additionally, Colombia has been experiencing deep-rooted demographic and humanitarian challenges, further complicating the large-scale acceptance of deported nationals. By mid-2024, approximately 7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) resided in Colombia—one of the largest amounts of IDPs in the world. These displacements, driven by armed conflict, land disputes, and guerilla violence, threaten Colombia’s already fragile housing, healthcare, education, and employment systems. IDPs often relocate to overcrowded urban settlements and communities, straining local governments and increasing competition for limited resources, especially in areas that already lack basic infrastructure and government services. This exacerbates the tensions between displaced populations and their host communities.
The sustained impact of Venezuelan migration, one of the largest displacement crises in Latin America, compounds these internal pressures. Since 2015, over 2.9 million Venezuelans have crossed into Colombia in the hopes of escaping economic turmoil, authoritarianism, and violence in their home country. While Colombia has adopted policies to support Venezuelan migrants, the continuous arrival of more new migrants still overwhelms major cities like Bogotá, Cúcuta, and Medellín, and their resources, struggling to keep up with rapid population growth. This overwhelming demand on public services hinders social and economic integration efforts for newcomers.
Alongside displacement and migration, Colombia is experiencing rapid urbanization, a youth population boom, and uneven regional development, all contributing factors to population stress. Migration from rural to urban areas has accelerated due to insecurity in these rural environments and the search for improved economic opportunity. This shift has resulted in the proliferation of informal settlements, rising unemployment, and increased demand for public service in major metropolitan areas. The forced return of deportees from the U.S. risks enhancing Colombia’s humanitarian crisis, social unrest, and the loss of development improvements.
While Colombia has made strides to address these issues, hurdles such as human rights violations and drug trafficking challenges remain. These issues raise concerns about how the Trump administration will approach U.S.–Colombia relations. A return to the punitive and militarized policies of early “Plan Colombia” could risk undoing years of progress in social and political issues. Harmful rhetoric, transactional diplomacy, or unilateral measures—like deportation threats and tariff impositions—could destabilize Colombia’s already fragile situation. As key trade partners, the relationship between the U.S. and Colombia must be guided by cooperation and mutual respect, not coercion or short-term political gain.
During his first term, Trump’s approach towards Latin America was focused on advancing his domestic political agenda and rhetoric rather than fostering long-term partnerships. A key example was his threat to impose tariffs on Mexican imports unless Mexico reduced the migration flows from Central America to the U.S., pressuring Mexico to detain migrants within its own borders. Human rights organizations and lawmakers denounced this agreement, arguing that it violated international refugee protections. Trump’s inflammatory and hostile rhetoric toward Latin Americans aligned with his “America First” agenda and distanced the U.S. from global and regional allies. Now, at the beginning of his second term, this mindset appears to persist, shaping his policies in ways that continue to alienate neighboring nations.
As of April 2, 2025, dubbed “Liberation Day” by the Trump administration, a 10% baseline tariff was unilaterally imposed on all imports to the U.S., with steeper rates targeting select countries. Colombia was among those affected by the 10% tariff, marking a swift change from the post-World War II system of mutually agreed tariff rates. Trump boasted this move as a step towards an “economic revolution” with no regard for the diplomatic fallout. Latin American leaders had mixed reactions––Argentine President Milei celebrated while Chilean President Gabriel Boric expressed his frustration with the tariff announcement. Petro sees these tariffs as an opportunity to increase the scope of markets for Colombian goods and improve global reach.
For Colombia, the consequences of this tariff are severe. Deeply reliant on exports, such as agriculture and textiles, the tariffs undermine the competitiveness of Colombia’s key products in the U.S. market. Colombia now faces an economic slowdown due to higher costs and lower demand induced by tariffs, deepening the social and economic inequality faced within the country. The economic strain from the tariffs could push more Colombians to seek refuge in urban centers in the face of an already massive influx of Venezuelan migrants. This growing pressure could lead to internal displacement, increased competition for jobs, and potentially greater social unrest as communities struggle with poverty and overcrowding.
Diplomatically, these tariffs could increase tensions between the U.S. and Colombia. If Colombia resists the U.S. on issues like deportation policies, Trump might further tariffs or trade sanctions on Colombian goods. The U.S. could also impose visa restrictions, travel bans, or retaliatory measures against Colombian officials–all actions that the government threatened to do previously. If the Colombian government fails to manage the economic fallout from these policies, public trust could further erode, leading to domestic chaos and disruption.
Overall, the tariffs risk entrenching Colombia’s existing social and economic challenges, potentially leading to higher poverty, increased displacement, and greater inequality. As the government grapples with these issues, it may face political and diplomatic pressures that threaten the country’s stability and its future relationship with the U.S.
Featured/Headline Image Caption and Citation: Colombian Street, Image source from Flickr | CC License, no changes made