White House says Colombia backs down on migrant row

Colombia said it had "overcome the impasse" in the US migrant row and the White House said it would freeze most plans for tariffs and sanctions on Latin America's fourth largest economy.

"We will continue receiving Colombians who return as deportees," Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said at a news conference after Bogota blocked the entry of US planes carrying deported Colombians.

Colombia has agreed to "unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on US military aircraft, without limitation or delay," a White House statement said.

"Today's events make clear to the world that America is respected again," it added.

"President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation's sovereignty, and he expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States."

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist, had infuriated Trump by refusing to accept military planes of Colombians deported from the United States.

He had earlier said he would take back migrants but "with dignity", including on civilian planes.

Earlier, both countries lurched toward a trade war when President Donald Trump threatened tariffs and sanctions on Colombia to punish it for turning away military aircraft carrying migrants being deported as part of his immigration crackdown.

Colombia swiftly responded, threatening a 50 per cent tariff on US goods. President Petro later posted on X that he directed his trade minister to increase tariffs on US imports by 25 per cent.

Colombia is the second Latin American nation to refuse US military deportation flights. Trump's punitive action demonstrated his more muscular US foreign policy and his renewed willingness to force countries to bend to his will.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that Petro's refusal to accept the flights jeopardised US national security.

The retaliatory measures include imposing 25 per cent tariffs on all Colombian goods coming into the US, which will go up to 50 per cent in one week; a travel ban and visa revocations on Colombian government officials; and emergency treasury, banking and financial sanctions.

Trump said he would also direct enhanced border inspections of Colombian nationals and cargo.

"These measures are just the beginning," Trump wrote. "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!"