January 28, 2025 | Tariff Threats Successful – Colombia to Accept Returned Citizens

Tariffs never work, but threats often do when it is known they will be carried out. Donald Trump threatened Colombia with massive tariffs, sanctions, and travel bans if the nation refused to take back thousands of illegal Colombian migrants. Within ONE HOUR, Colombia agreed to all terms and conditions.

Two repatriation flights to Colombia were denied entry, leading Trump to take action. The initial threat would have raised tariffs by 25% instantly, with tariffs doubling to 50% within a week if the order was not restored. Trump threatened to place numerous sanctions on Colombia and certain politicians. Colombian officials and allies would have had their visas removed immediately. “These measures are just the beginning. 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,” Trump warned.

The Colombian government responded within an hour. “The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay. Based on this agreement, the fully drafted IEEPA tariffs and sanctions will be held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement,” the White House reported. Visa sanctions will remain in place “until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned.”

Colombia’s President Petro replied to Trump’s initial threats by claiming the US president would attempt to invoke a coup against him. Petro called the US “boring” and Trump a racist who considered him “an inferior race.” Petro spoke of seeing “blacks and Latinos” in Washington fighting and urged them to ban together. Clearly, he was hoping to invoke a racial war when that was NEVER the premise. Why do you not want to accept back your own people, President Petro? Why are you unable to control the drug cartels who rule your nation? He knows that those who fled under Biden are some of the worst the nation had to offer.

“You can try to carry out a coup with your economic strength and your arrogance, like then did with Allendale. But I will die in my law, I resisted torture and I resist you. I don’t want slavers next to Colombia, we already had many and freed ourselves,” Petro continued, saying Trump does not want Colombia to be free and he would not “shake hands with white slavers.” He then threatened to force 50% tariffs on the US in retaliation.

Democrats in the US sided with Petro immediately and claimed that asking illegal residents to return home was undignified. These politicians are demanding that American citizens pay for illegal migrants. There is no ongoing war in Colombia, and they did not come here for asylum. America has a legal immigration process that people can follow if they’d like to reside here.

Petro’s tantrum ended in defeat. We now have a president who is not afraid of confrontation. Trump has been thrown to the wolves so many times that any attempt to villainize him is met with apathy. America will no longer be made to feel like an antihero for its economic success nor will its people be subject to the sins of their forefathers. America finally has a leader who demands respect and is not afraid to raise hell for America First policies.

Martin Armstrong January 28th, 2025

Posted In: Armstrong Economics

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