Colombian President Gustavo Petro, days after reversing his stance on U.S. military planes returning undocumented migrants, urged undocumented migrants in the United States to return home immediately and help “build social wealth.”
The Colombian President, who was elected in 2022 as the country’s first leftist president, even offered loans that could help migrants returning from the U.S. start a business.
“I ask undocumented Colombians in the U.S. to immediately leave their jobs in that country and return to Colombia as soon as possible,” he wrote in an early morning post on X on Friday. “Let’s build social wealth in Colombia.”
Loans Offered To Migrants
He said Colombia’s Department of Social Prosperity will offer loans to anyone who takes him up on the offer.
After U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to impose tariffs and sanctions after Colombia refused to accept military flights carrying deportees, Petro quickly reversed course on Sunday and agreed to accept the migrants.
Petro did not provide details on the loans in his post, but the department typically offers small loans geared toward productive activities that alleviate poverty.
200,000 Undocumented Colombians In US
There are an estimated 200,000 undocumented Colombians living in the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center.
Colombia has a population of roughly 53 million.
Petro’s post imploring Colombians who might get caught up in Trump’s aggressive crackdown on unlawful U.S. migrants to return home provoked a mix of responses online, some supportive but many critical of Petro.
“Many young professionals who have recently graduated (in Colombia) haven’t been able to find a job,” responded X user Una Tathy X, one of nearly 10,000 responses to the president’s post. “First help those who are here.”
Trump’s Tariff Threat
Donald Trump had earlier said he would impose broad retaliatory measures on Colombia, including tariffs and sanctions, after the South American nation refused entry to two U.S. military aircraft carrying deported migrants.
Colombia, the third largest US trading partner in Latin America, swiftly responded, threatening a 50% retaliatory tariff on American goods.
Colombian president Petro, posted on X that he directed his trade minister to increase tariffs on US imports by 25%.
Colombia was the second Latin American nation to refuse US military deportation flights.
(With inputs from Reuters)
