Colombia will not accept American deportation flights, said President Petro

Colombia will not accept flights from the US unless the Trump administration comes up with a process to treat Colombian migrants with “respect and dignity,” the country’s president, Gustavo Petro. he said. A series of posts on Sunday By X.

Mr Petro said Colombia had already returned military planes carrying Colombian exiles. While other Latin American countries have raised concerns about President Trump’s massive immigration plan, Colombia appears to be the first to refuse to cooperate.

Mr. Petro wrote, “I cannot make refugees stay in a country that does not want them, but if that country sends them back, it should have respect for them and for our country.”

Mr Petro’s position could put him at odds with President Trump, who has issued a series of executive orders since taking office on Monday and other steps to lay the groundwork for deporting more migrants.

The US Embassy in Bogota did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Among other things, Mr. Petro said that civilian planes carrying exiles were willing to land in Colombia, but not military planes. “An immigrant is not a criminal,” he wrote on X.

It did not include details of how many military planes and migrants were returned, when and how many.

It is unclear whether Colombia can legally turn over its own citizens, or how many hijacking flights it has or has received in the past. A representative of the president confirmed that the planes had been turned back, but did not immediately respond to other questions.

It was a response to Mr. Petro’s statement. A post Citing a report from a local news outlet about Brazil’s “inhumane” treatment of migrants after a video of them disembarking from a plane from the United States handcuffed in Brazil.

The announcement comes as countries around the world grapple with how to prepare for the mass deportation of illegal immigrants that Mr. Trump has threatened.

Two military jets carrying deported migrants landed in Guatemala City on Friday, one of the first countries with the United States to welcome citizens transported by US Air Force jets.