Hundreds of US visa appointments canceled in Colombia following spat with Trump over deportations

[January 28, 2025]  By MANUEL RUEDA and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Visa appointments at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia were canceled Monday following a dispute between President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro over deportation flights from the U.S. that nearly turned into a costly trade war between the two countries.

Dozens of Colombians arrived at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota and were handed letters by local staff that said their appointments had been canceled “due to the Colombian government’s refusal to accept repatriation flights of Colombian nationals” over the weekend.

Later on Monday, Colombia's Foreign Affairs Ministry said the government was sending a Colombian Air Force plane to San Diego to pick up a group of Colombians who were on a deportation flight that was not allowed to land on Sunday morning.

The victory claimed in Washington turned Colombia into an example of what other nations could face if they stand in the way of Trump's illegal immigration crackdown. It also put on display a clash with a leftist leader of a country that had long been a U.S. partner against drug trafficking.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Monday the Trump administration will take action if countries do not abide by their agreements, such as accepting deportees.

“This was about reminding Colombia that there is a price to pay if you go against your agreements, things that you promise,” she said in an interview on Fox News' “The Story.” “Ultimately, what one would expect to happen did happen. They said ‘oh, our bad,’ and they reversed everything."

Colombians, like most non-U.S. citizens, require a visa to travel to the United States for tourism, business or other purposes.

But in Colombia it can take up to two years to get a visa appointment at the U.S embassy in Bogotá, which has also been handling visa requests from neighboring Venezuela for several years. Those who had their Monday appointments cancelled will likely have to wait several months for a new appointment. And many said they were frustrated with the unexpected cancellations.

“President Petro did not represent our interests,” said Elio Camelo, a U.S. visa seeker from the city of Cali who had traveled to Bogota for his appointment.

“There is a lot of uncertainty now over what will happen next,” said Mauricio Manrique, who had his Monday morning appointment canceled. He had traveled from Popayan, about 600 kilometers (about 370 miles) south of Bogota, for his appointment.

Gloria Camacho holds a notification stating her visa appointment was canceled, due to Colombian President Gustavo Petro's refusal to accept repatriation flights of Colombian citizens from the U.S., outside the U.S. embassy in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Tensions between Colombia and the U.S. escalated Sunday after Petro wrote an early morning message on X saying he would not allow two U.S. Air Force planes carrying Colombian deportees to land in the country.

Petro also shared a video that showed another group of deportees reportedly arriving in Brazil with shackles on their legs. He said Colombia would only accept deportation flights when the United States had established protocols that ensured the “dignified treatment” of expelled migrants.

Trump responded with a post of his own on Truth Social, in which he called for 25% emergency tariffs on Colombian exports to the United States, and also said that the U.S. visas of Colombian government officials would be revoked, while goods coming from the South American country would face enhanced customs inspections.

Meanwhile, the State Department said Sunday it would stop issuing visas to Colombian nationals until deportation flights resumed.

Tensions decreased Sunday night following negotiations between the countries, with the White House saying in a statement that Colombia had allowed the resumption of deportation flights and “agreed to all of President Trump’s terms,” including the arrival of deportees on military flights.

Last year Colombia accepted 124 deportation flights. But those were charter flights organized by U.S. government contractors.

The White House said tariffs on Colombian exports would be put on hold, but added that visa restrictions on Colombian officials and enhanced custom inspections would remain “until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned.”

A State Department spokesperson said Monday the agency had no updates on when visas for Colombian travelers would again be issued at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota.

Last year, more than 1.6 million Colombians traveled to the U.S. legally, according to a report by the Ministry of Commerce. The report said the United States was the top destination for Colombians traveling abroad.

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Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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