SWEEPING CRACKDOWN
Trump declared unlawful immigration a nationwide emergency and imposed a sweeping crackdown since taking workplace final Monday. He directed the US army to assist with border safety, issued a broad ban on asylum and took steps to limit citizenship for kids born on US soil.
Colombia’s Petro condemned the follow on Sunday, suggesting it handled migrants like criminals. In a publish on social media platform X, Petro stated Colombia would welcome dwelling deported migrants on civilian planes.
“The US can’t deal with Colombian migrants as criminals,” Petro wrote.
Petro stated regardless that there have been 15,660 People with out authorized immigration standing in Colombia, he would by no means perform a raid to return handcuffed People to the US
“We’re the alternative of the Nazis,” he wrote.
Mexico additionally refused a request final week to let a US army plane land with migrants.
Trump didn’t take comparable motion towards Mexico, the biggest US buying and selling associate, however has stated he was fascinated by imposing 25 per cent duties on imports from Canada and Mexico on Feb 1 to power additional motion towards unlawful immigrants and fentanyl flowing into the US.
The US is Colombia’s largest buying and selling associate, largely as a consequence of a 2006 free commerce settlement, with US$33.8 billion value of two-way commerce in 2023 and a US$1.6 billion US commerce surplus, based on US Census Bureau knowledge.
The most important US imports from Colombia that 12 months have been crude oil, gold, espresso, and minimize roses. High US exports to Colombia have been gasoline and different petroleum merchandise, business plane, corn, crude oil and soybeans.
“Petro’s discovering out that tweets have penalties. He is not (dealing with) a US counterpart that appears at Colombia by a strategic lens, as a key ally, however as a rustic to make an instance of,” stated Sergio Guzman, director of consultancy Colombia Threat Evaluation. Guzman added that monetary sanctions might be economically crippling.
Alejo Czerwonko, chief funding officer for rising markets Americas at UBS World Wealth Administration, stated Colombia relied on entry to the US marketplace for a few third of its exports, or about 4 per cent of its GDP.
“As well as, the Petro-Trump relationship has began off on the fallacious foot, which might sign further challenges forward,” Czerwonko instructed Reuters.
GROWING DISCONTENT
Petro’s feedback add to the rising refrain of discontent in Latin America as Trump’s week-old administration begins mobilising for mass deportations.
Brazil’s overseas ministry late on Saturday condemned “degrading therapy” of Brazilians after migrants have been handcuffed on a business deportation flight. Upon arrival, a number of the passengers additionally reported mistreatment through the flight, based on native information stories.
The aircraft, which was carrying 88 Brazilian passengers, 16 US safety brokers, and eight crew members, had been initially scheduled to reach in Belo Horizonte within the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
