Trump defers 25% Colombia tariffs after deportation agreement reached

President Donald Trump is holding off imposing tariffs on imports from Colombia after the two countries came to an agreement late Sunday over migrant deportations.

Colombian authorities agreed to accept deportation flights after Trump threatened the country with 25% import duties and other sanctions to punish Colombia for refusing to accept U.S. military planes carrying deportees last week.

“We have overcome the impasse with the United States government,” Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said in a news conference Sunday. “Colombia confirms that diplomatic channels of dialogue will be maintained to guarantee the rights, national interest and dignity of our citizens.”

The Trump administration claimed victory in the potential trade spat that could have impacted freight movements of oil, coffee, cut flowers and more.

“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,” Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X. “Today’s events make clear to the world that America is respected again.”

Earlier, Trump had ordered 25% tariffs on all imports from Colombia, along with other retaliatory measures in response to Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s decision to reject two inbound U.S. military aircraft carrying migrants.

In response to Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on all Colombian products, Petro initially said on Sunday his country would impose a 50% tariff on U.S. imports.

The United States is Colombia’s largest trading partner, accounting for 34% of Colombia’s total trade, and Colombia is a top ten supplier of crude oil to the U.S.

The two countries facilitated $33.4 billion in commerce from January to November 2024, according to Census Bureau data.

According to trade data provider the Observatory of Economic Complexity, the top three imports from Colombia to the U.S. in 2022 were petroleum ($6 billion), coffee ($1.78 billion) and flowers ($1.64 billion).

The majority of fresh cut flowers the U.S. imports from Colombia are shipped via air cargo through the Miami International Airport.

Approximately 1,300 vessels had over 11,000 port calls in the U.S. after calling on ports in Colombia, including 422 bulk vessels, 241 container vessels, 90 oil/chemical tankers, 88 crude oil tankers, 85 general cargo vessels and 81 vehicle carriers, according to predictive maritime intelligence company Windward.

source : freightwaves