On Sunday night, President Trump reportedly withdrew a threat he had made earlier in the day to impose 25% tariffs and economic sanctions on Colombia after the South American country appeared to acquiesce to his demands.
The White House claimed that Colombia had complied with its demands to repatriate migrants into the South American country.
Trump had issued the threat on Sunday afternoon in response to the Colombian government’s refusal to permit the landing of two military aircraft carrying migrants.
The White House stated that the tariff plans would be “held in reserve” unless the Colombian government failed to comply with the agreement.
The action averts what would have been Trump’s initial tariff implementation since his inauguration last week, a decision that could have resulted in a trade conflict with a nation that had maintained cordial economic ties with the United States for decades.
Earlier in the day, Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared that he would respond to Trump’s tariffs, economic penalties, and visa sanctions by imposing his own tariffs on U.S. products.
The Trump administration’s desire to make early progress on one of his central campaign promises—cracking down on illegal immigration—was underscored by the threat of tariffs against Colombia and the stepped-up deportation efforts throughout the country on Sunday.
Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and Denver were among the cities in which immigration actions were confirmed by authorities on Sunday.
Authorities at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported that 956 arrests were made on Sunday, which is the highest daily tally that ICE has reported since the commencement of Trump’s second term.
According to a defense official, two U.S. military C-17s were granted diplomatic permission to land in Colombia when they departed San Diego with approximately 80 migrants each.
However, this authorization was revoked on Sunday while they were in transit.
The official stated that the aircraft subsequently returned to the United States.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump announced that the 25% tariffs would be increased to 50% within the next week.
Additionally, Trump declared that he would implement visa sanctions on individuals associated with the Colombian government and impose a travel ban on Colombian government officials.
A senior administration official stated that the tariffs and sanctions on Colombia were to be implemented in accordance with the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The president is granted extensive authority to impose duties and penalties on other countries when he declares an economic emergency under this law.
The act has not been utilized to impose tariffs in the past; however, President Richard Nixon implemented a precursor to the law in 1971 to impose a 10% tariff on all imports.
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