Colombia announced that it will resume flights to deport immigrants from the United States with Colombian aircraft, after an eight-month suspension, just days before the meeting between presidents Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump.
The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared on Thursday night (29) on the X network that national military planes will search for its expelled citizens to guarantee their “dignified treatment”. “We will make around 20 flights, one per week, to bring these people”, explained this Friday (30) the Colombian chancellor, Rosa Villavicencio, in a press conference.
These are Colombian citizens “who already have an expulsion order” in the United States, he added.
Os two presidents will meet at the White House next Tuesdayfollowing disagreements in January last year, when Petro blocked the arrival of American flights with deportees, denouncing mistreatment and the fact that they arrived in handcuffs — a measure that triggered a diplomatic crisis.
Petro sent planes to pick up his citizens and later allowed US aircraft to enter under the condition that their rights were respected. However, in May, the government suspended the authorizations after accusing Washington of not complying with the agreements.
The deportation crisis, amid Trump’s offensive against irregular immigration, was the first major disagreement between these two traditionally allied countries.
Petro went so far as to compare Trump to Adolf Hitler and, during a visit to New York, asked American law enforcement authorities to disobey him. The Republican president revoked his partner’s visa, called him a “drug trafficking leader” and imposed financial sanctions for allegedly failing to combat drug trafficking.
More recently, Trump threatened an attack in Colombia similar to the one that led to the arrest of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro on January 3.
The two leaders spoke cordially by phone on January 7 and agreed to meet. They are expected to discuss strategies to jointly combat drug trafficking in Colombia, the world’s largest cocaine producer.
*With AFP
