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The Conversation
Politics
Nicholas R. Micinski, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Maine

Trump’s tariff threats fit a growing global phenomenon: hardball migration diplomacy

View at the entrance of the United States Embassy taken in Bogota, Colombia Pablo Vera/AFP via Getty Images

As diplomatic spats go, it was short-lived.

On Jan 26, 2025, Colombian President Gustavo Petro turned away American military planes carrying people being deported from the United States. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened 25% tariffs and travel bans on Colombian government officials. Despite insisting that “the U.S. cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals” and needed to “establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them,” Petro’s government backed down and resumed cooperation with U.S. immigration officials.

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