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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 29 January 2025
Deportation flights from the U.S. to Colombia resume after a

diplomatic spat

By MANUEL RUEDA, MARKO had criminal records.
ALVAREZ and ADRIANA A deal between both
GOMEZ LICON countries was made on
Associated Press Sunday night to resume
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) the removal flights, with
— Colombian migrants re- the White House saying in
turning home Tuesday on a statement that Colom-
Colombian military flights bia had “agreed to all of
described being shackled President Trump’s terms,”
during earlier U.S. flights including the arrival of de-
that were blocked by their portees on military flights.
country’s leader in a dis- Colombia sent two planes
pute with President Donald from its air force to Houston
Trump that nearly sparked and El Paso on Monday to
a trade war. pick up the migrants whose
Deportation flights be- deportation had been de-
tween the U.S. and Colom- layed over the weekend,
bia resumed Tuesday af- as well as dozens of oth-
ter the diplomatic drama ers who had deportations
over the weekend that pending. In total, 201 mi-
provided clues as to how grants were transported
the Trump administration Colombian migrants deported from the United States wait inside El Dorado airport after arriving in to Bogota on Tuesday,
would deal with countries Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. according to Colombia’s
blocking large-scale plans Associated Press Ministry of Foreign Affairs.q
to deport migrants who en-
tered illegally. tion centers.
Colombia’s President Gus- “We went for the Ameri-
tavo Petro initially refused can dream, and we end-
to accept two U.S. mili- ed up living the American
tary planes with migrants, nightmare” said Carlos
prompting Trump to threat- Gómez, a migrant from the
en 25% tariffs on Colom- city of Barranquilla who
bian exports and other left Colombia two weeks
sanctions. Colombia then ago, flew to Mexico, and
relented and said it would crossed the border illegal-
accept the migrants, but ly into California, with the
fly them on Colombian mil- help of smugglers.
itary flights that Petro said On Monday evening,
would guarantee them Trump recounted the con-
dignity. flict with Petro and main-
Two Colombian air force tained that migrants should
planes landed Tuesday in be restrained when flying
Bogota with more than 200 back home, arguing it is for
of the migrants, many of security reasons.
them women and children. “We were being scolded
Petro welcomed them with because we had them
a post on X saying they are in shackles in an airplane
now “free” and “in a coun- and he said ‘this is no way
try that loves them.” to treat people,’” he said
“Migrants are not crimi- at a policy conference for
nals,” Petro wrote. “They House Republicans held at
are human beings who his Doral golf club in Flori-
want to work and get da. “You’ve got to under-
ahead in life.” stand, these are murderers,
One of the migrants, José drug lords, gang members,
Montaña of Medellín, said just the toughest people
they were put in chains on you’ve ever met or seen.
the earlier U.S. flights. “We The Trump administra-
were shackled from our tion has said that it would
feet, our ankles to our hips, prioritize the expulsion of
like criminals,” Montaña migrants with criminal re-
said. “There were women cords in the initial phases
whose kids had to see their of his promised mass de-
moms shackled like they portation, though it also
were drug traffickers.” has said the deportations
Some of the migrants told could include anyone who
journalists they had been entered illegally.
in the United States for less It was not immediately
than two weeks, spending clear how many of the re-
most of their time in deten- turned Colombia migrants