Colombia has blocked two US military flights carrying deported migrants, the official told Reuters.
By Phil Stewart and Oliver Griffin
WASHINGTON/BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia on Sunday returned two U.S. military planes carrying migrants deported as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, a U.S. official said, in at least the second case of a Latin American country denying U.S. military flights.
Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, has condemned the move, saying he sees migrants as criminals. In a post on social media X, Petro said that Colombia would receive deported refugees on civilian planes, saying they should be treated with dignity and respect.
Colombia’s decision follows Mexico’s decision to reject a request last week to allow a US military plane to land with migrants.
“America cannot treat Colombian immigrants as criminals,” Petro said, adding that there were 15,660 Americans in Colombia without valid immigration status.
Petro’s comments fuel growing discontent in Latin America as the Trump administration begins to move toward mass deportations.
Brazil’s foreign ministry condemned the “degrading treatment” of Brazilians early on Saturday. Local news reports also reported that some passengers were abused during the flight upon arrival.
The plane, which was carrying 88 Brazilian passengers, 16 US security personnel and eight crew members, was scheduled to arrive in Belo Horizonte in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
There, Brazilian authorities ordered their handcuffs lifted, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva named a Brazilian Air Force (FAB) flight to complete his trip, the government said in a statement on Saturday.
It’s the second time this year that a commercial charter flight has deported undocumented immigrants from the United States to Brazil, the first since Trump’s inauguration, Brazilian federal police said.
The State Department, the Pentagon, the US Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The use of US military aircraft to conduct evacuation flights is part of the Pentagon’s response to Trump’s national emergency declaration on Monday.
In the past, US military aircraft have been used to move individuals from one country to another, as was the case with the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
It is the first time in recent memory that U.S. military planes have been used to fly refugees out of the country, a U.S. official said.
US military aircraft flew two identical flights to Guatemala on Friday, each carrying about 80 refugees.