Colombian President Gustavo Petro has stepped in to block a deportation flight from the United States.
Petro, a former Marxist guerilla and vocal opponent of Donald Trump, confirmed that he had blocked the flights in a post on the X platform.
“A migrant is not a criminal and must be treated with the dignity that every human being deserves.”
“That is why I ordered the return of US military planes carrying Colombian migrants,” Petro wrote, alongside a video of Brazilian deportees being flown out of the US on Friday.
“I cannot force migrants to remain in a country that does not want them.”
“But if that country returns them, it must be with dignity and respect – for both them and our nation. In civilian planes, and without treating them like criminals, we will welcome our compatriots.”
”Colombia deserves respect,” he added.
Petro did not make reference to the fact that the vast majority of deportees are illegal aliens who have committed crimes in the U.S., as well as the original crime of entering the country illegally.
Un migrante no es un delincuente y debe ser tratado con la dignidad que un ser humano merece.
Por eso hice devolver los aviones militares estadounidenses que venían con migrantes colombianos.
No puedo hacer que los migrantes queden en un país que no los quiere; pero si ese país… https://t.co/U1MmWrNio1
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 26, 2025
An official with knowledge of the situation told The Daily Wire that the U.S. Embassy in Colombia would retaliate by closing its visa section.
“In response to President Petro’s refusal to accept two flights of Colombian deportees, which President Petro had authorized and were previously approved at the highest levels of government, U.S. Embassy Colombia is closing the visa section tomorrow,” the official said.
According to Reuters, Colombian authorities denied landing clearance for two U.S. military aircraft, each transporting around 80 migrants.
The two planes had reportedly already left California when Petro revoked their permission to land.
Petro’s announcement comes after that Mexico similarly blocked a flight loaded up with illegal aliens.
Last month, Petro threatened to send “millions” of migrants towards the U.S. border because of Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal.
“Until the last consequences I will be on the side of Panama and the defense of its sovereignty,” he wrote at the time.
“If the new US government wants to talk business, we will talk business, face to face, and for the benefit of our people, but dignity will never be negotiated.”
“If he does not want myriads crossing the Darien, increased by millions from Panama to Mexico, he must understand that it will depend on the prosperity and freedom of our peoples.”
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