During the U.S. presidential elections, Republican Party candidate Donald Trump repeatedly stated that one of his main priorities would be to tackle illegal immigration in the country. After winning the election and entering office for the second time on January 20, 2025, his administration implemented new measures in the area.
Between his inauguration and February 5, the Trump administration deported a total of 4,745 Latin American undocumented immigrants, who were returned to their countries of origin. According to official data, 4,094 of those deported were Mexican citizens, mirroring the prominence of Mexico as one of the major countries of origin for immigration to the United States.
The deportation of undocumented migrants to Colombia led to a diplomatic spat between the presidents of the two countries, with the Colombian government initially rejecting the arrival of two planes carrying those deported from the United States. The U.S. administration responded by imposing tariffs on Colombian goods. Faced with these actions, the government of Gustavo Petro finally agreed to accept the flights, bringing the total number of people returned to the country to 306.
Check out the original article by Catalina Espinosa in Spanish here.
