On Monday’s broadcast of “CNN Newsroom,” Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) argued that while the Trump administration was able to work out a deal with Colombia to get them to accept deportations and save taxpayer money, the move will antagonize “one of your best allies and partners that really likes” America.
Host Pamela Brown asked, “What would you say, though, to the White House, who would likely argue…look, because of what President Trump did, now Colombia is sending two planes and saving taxpayer dollars, we worked out a deal that was even better for us in the end? What do you say to that?”
Castro responded, “Look, it’s true, we may save $20,000, and yet, you would be harder-pressed to find a nation in South America that’s been a greater friend of the United States than Colombia. To give you an example, most countries in South America over the last ten years or so have started to do more trade with China than the United States. Colombia is one of the few countries that still does a lot more trade with the United States than with China. And so, you’ve got literally one of your best allies and partners that really likes the United States, and you’ve got a President who is going out there and antagonizing them. And I’ll tell you, what’s going to happen is that all of these countries that he’s making threats to, whether it’s Denmark, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, they’re going to start to talk to each other. They’re going to start to figure out how, in the coming years, you sideline the United States from their economies. So, instead of hiring United States suppliers and businesses and welcoming United States trade, they’re going to figure out how they can do it with China, with European nations, and with each other in Latin America. And, in the end, the United States is going to be weaker.”
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