By MANUEL RUEDA, MARKO ALVAREZ and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON, Related Press
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian migrants returning dwelling Tuesday on Colombian navy flights described being shackled throughout earlier U.S. flights that have been blocked by their nation’s chief in a dispute with President Donald Trump that just about sparked a commerce warfare.
Deportation flights between the U.S. and Colombia resumed Tuesday after the diplomatic drama over the weekend that supplied clues as to how the Trump administration would cope with international locations blocking large-scale plans to deport migrants who entered illegally.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro initially refused to just accept two U.S. navy planes with migrants, prompting Trump to threaten 25% tariffs on Colombian exports and different sanctions. Colombia then relented and mentioned it might settle for the migrants, however fly them on Colombian navy flights that Petro mentioned would assure them dignity.
Two Colombian air pressure planes landed Tuesday in Bogota with greater than 200 of the migrants, a lot of them girls and kids. Petro welcomed them with a put up on X saying they’re now “free” and “in a rustic that loves them.”
“Migrants should not criminals,” Petro wrote. “They’re human beings who wish to work and get forward in life.”
One of many migrants, José Montaña of Medellín, mentioned they have been put in chains on the sooner U.S. flights. “We have been shackled from our ft, our ankles to our hips, like criminals,” Montaña mentioned. “There have been girls whose children needed to see their mothers shackled like they have been drug traffickers.”
A number of the migrants advised journalists they’d been in the US for lower than two weeks, spending most of their time in detention facilities.
“We went for the American dream, and we ended up dwelling the American nightmare” mentioned Carlos Gómez, a migrant from the town of Barranquilla who left Colombia two weeks in the past, flew to Mexico, and crossed the border illegally into California, with the assistance of smugglers.
On Monday night, Trump recounted the battle with Petro and maintained that migrants ought to be restrained when flying again dwelling, arguing it’s for safety causes.
“We have been being scolded as a result of we had them in shackles in an airplane and he mentioned ‘that is no strategy to deal with individuals,’” he mentioned at a coverage convention for Home Republicans held at his Doral golf membership in Florida. “You’ve received to grasp, these are murderers, drug lords, gang members, simply the hardest individuals you’ve ever met or seen.
The Trump administration has mentioned that it might prioritize the expulsion of migrants with felony data within the preliminary phases of his promised mass deportation, although it additionally has mentioned the deportations might embrace anybody who entered illegally.
It was not instantly clear how most of the returned Colombia migrants had felony data.
A deal between each international locations was made on Sunday evening to renew the removing flights, with the White Home saying in a press release that Colombia had “agreed to all of President Trump’s phrases,” together with the arrival of deportees on navy flights.
Colombia despatched two planes from its air pressure to Houston and El Paso on Monday to choose up the migrants whose deportation had been delayed over the weekend, in addition to dozens of others who had deportations pending. In complete, 201 migrants have been transported to Bogota on Tuesday, in keeping with Colombia’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs.
Final 12 months, Colombia had acquired greater than 120 deportation flights, however these have been constitution flights operated by U.S. authorities contractors.
Wolfram Díaz, a migrant from Bucaramanga, Colombia who had been within the U.S. for lower than two weeks, mentioned U.S. officers had them board a C-130 Hercules shackled.
“It was on its strategy to Colombia, however I’m not certain what occurred. We have been turned again,” he mentioned, including that they have been stored with handcuffs up till the second they have been transferred to the custody of Colombian officers.
Gómez, the migrant who left Colombia two weeks in the past, mentioned that he turned himself to U.S. Border Patrol brokers, and requested an asylum listening to. However he was held for seven days in detention facilities, earlier than he was deported. He made the journey together with his 17-year-old son.
“We solely need a greater future for our kids,” Gómez mentioned.
Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Related Press
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