Hundreds of U.S. visa appointments cancelled in Colombia following spat with Trump over deportations

Visa appointments at U.S. Embassy in Colombia cancelled due to dispute between Trump and Colombian President over deportation flights.

Visa appointments at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia were cancelled Monday (January 27, 2025) 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 cancelled “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.