The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday (January 27) that the government will dispatch an Air Force plane to San Diego, California to bring back 110 Colombian citizens who were deported from the United States.
The plane is scheduled to depart from CATAM Military Airport in the Colombian capital of Bogota on Monday afternoon and arrive in San Diego to repatriate the Colombian nationals expelled from the U.S.
According to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, deploying the Colombian Air Force plane for this mission aligns with the government’s commitment to ensuring the return of the deportees with dignity.
The military aircraft will also carry medical personnel as well as officials from the Colombian Immigration Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Colombia stated that another plane is expected to be dispatched in the coming days for a similar purpose.
This action by Colombia comes in response to conflict with the United States over immigration deportations, followed by subsequent agreements reached.
Earlier on Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro instructed authorities to reject a U.S. military plane carrying deported immigrants from landing in Colombia. In response, U.S. President Trump swiftly announced comprehensive retaliatory measures against Colombia, including imposing a 25% emergency tariff on all Colombian goods entering the U.S., escalating to 50% within a week; implementing travel bans and visa revocations for Colombian government officials and their allies; and imposing emergency sanctions in fiscal, banking, and financial sectors.
Shortly after, the Colombian government declared that President Petro decided to provide a presidential plane to bring back the deported immigrants who were rejected at the border that morning by the U.S., stating that this action would facilitate the dignified return of illegal immigrants.
Petro also announced that his government would retaliate against the U.S. regarding the tariff sanctions.
Despite both countries reaching an agreement on Sunday night, averting a costly trade war, the White House indicated that visa sanctions against Colombian government officials would remain in effect until the first group of Colombian immigrants was successfully repatriated.
On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Colombia canceled visa appointments, and dozens of Colombians who had appointments received notifications that their appointments were canceled.