Colombian President Asks Undocumented Migrants In United States To Leave “Immediately” And Return

Colombian President Gustavo Petro urged undocumented Colombians in the United States to “immediately” leave their jobs and return to the country.

“I ask undocumented Colombians in the US to immediately leave their jobs in that country and return to Colombia as soon as possible. Wealth is produced only by working people,” Petro said on X.

“The Department of Social Prosperity, DPS, will seek to provide productive loans to returnees who enroll in its programs. Let’s build social wealth in Colombia,” he added.

Le solicito a las colombianas y colombianos sin documentos en EEUU dejar sus trabajos de inmediato en ese país y retornar a Colombia lo más pronto posible

La riqueza la produce solo el pueblo trabajador.

El Departamento de Prosperidad Social, DPS, buscará entregar créditos…

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 31, 2025

The announcement follows Petro’s immediate U-turn after initially refusing to accept deportation flights from the Trump administration.

BREAKING: Columbia CAVES In Minutes, Now Sending The Presidential Plane!

From the New York Post:

Petro had initially tried to block jets sending illegal migrants from the US back to his South American country while foolishly making slurs about then-newly inaugurated Trump.

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He quickly caved under the tariff threats, allowing the deportations flights to resume — and even offering up his own military jets to collect them.

Two Colombian Air Force planes landed Tuesday with more than 200 migrants, many of them women and children.

Petro welcomed them with a post on X, saying they are now “free” and “in a country that loves them.”

Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said none of the 200 Colombians who were returned on Tuesday had criminal records in the US or Colombia.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Friday urged undocumented Colombians in the United States to quit their jobs "immediately" and return to Colombia. MORE: https://t.co/URr7oPDzwi pic.twitter.com/fMyBh2nOLs

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) January 31, 2025

The Hill reports:

President Trump retaliated by threatening to impose a 25 percent tariff on Colombian goods coming into the country while also banning government officials and their family members from being able to travel to the U.S.

Similarly, Petro said Colombia would be instating a 25 percent tariff on goods.

The situation was tentatively resolved Sunday night, when White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a statement that the two sides agreed and that Colombia will accept “all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”

Since then, Colombian planes have been arriving in Bogotá with migrants who Petro said were not “criminals.”

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“Our compatriots come from the United States free, dignified, without being handcuffed. We structure a productive, associative and cheap credit plan for migrants,” he said.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá shut down visa appointments for Colombians seeking entry to America over the “Colombian government’s refusal to accept repatriation flights of Colombian nationals.”

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

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