Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a warning that President Donald Trump has been clear that the United States will “no longer be lied to nor taken advantage of.”
In a post on X, Rubio added that it was each country’s responsibility to “take back their citizens” who have been in the U.S. illegally. Rubio also referenced how Colombia President Gustavo Petro had initially “authorized flights and provided all needed authorizations,” before then refusing to accept “two flights containing a total of 160 deportable migrants.”
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After Trump intervened and threatened to impose several measures such as 25 percent tariffs “on all goods” coming into the nation, “a travel ban and immediate visa revocations” on Colombian government officials, among others, Petro backed down and said he would send a presidential plane to pick up the deported migrants.
“President Trump has made it clear that under his administration, America will no longer be lied to nor taken advantage of,” Rubio wrote in his post. “It is the responsibility of each nation to take back their citizens who are illegally present in the United States in a serious and expeditious manner.”
“Colombian President Petro had authorized flights and provided all needed authorizations and then canceled his authorization when the planes were in the air,” Rubio added. “As demonstrated by today’s actions, we are unwavering in our commitment to end illegal immigration and bolster America’s border security.”
In a post on X, Petro criticized the U.S. for treating “Colombian migrants as criminals,” and added that he was denying “the entry of American planes carrying Colombian migrants.”
“The US cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals,” Petro wrote. “I deny the entry of American planes carrying Colombian migrants into our territory. The United States must establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them.”
In response to Petro’s refusal to accept the “repatriation flights” from the U.S., Trump announced that he had instructed his administration to “immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures.”
-Emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States. In one week, the 25% tariffs will be raised to 50%.
-A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters.
-Visa Sanctions on all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government.
-Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds.
-IEEPA Treasury, Banking and Financial Sanctions to be fully imposed.
“The measures are just the beginning,” Trump added in his post. “We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!”
As Breitbart News’s Alana Mastrangelo previously reported, a “U.S. official with knowledge on the matter told Breitbart News” that Petro responded to Trump’s statement by announcing that he was backing down and would “send his presidential plane to personally pick up” the migrants.
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