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“The U.S. and Colombia pulled back from the brink of a trade war on Sunday after the White House said the South American nation had agreed to accept military aircraft carrying deported migrants. U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened tariffs and sanctions on Colombia to punish it for earlier refusing to accept military flights carrying deportees as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown. But in a statement late on Sunday, the White House said Colombia had agreed to accept the migrants after all and Washington would not impose its threatened penalties.” Reuters
“The Trump administration touted deportation efforts and published new rules Friday making it easier to remove people — part of a flurry of actions to make good on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration.” AP News
The left is critical of Trump’s diplomatic efforts and immigration policies.
“It's noteworthy that Trump didn't try the same bully-boy tactics on Mexico, which has also refused military flights. He prefers to pick on small countries that can't effectively fight back. Conservatives are all spiking the football over this, as if it's some kind of triumph that the United States of America managed to bludgeon a small South American neighbor and ally into submission. You bet. We Americans should all be very proud of ourselves.”
Kevin Drum, Jabberwocking
“The era of uncontested U.S. leadership in [Latin America] is fading fast in the rearview mirror. These days, China provides an obvious alternative to the United States in the realms of trade, finance, and technology. In fact, most of South America—including big countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru—now trades more with China than with the United States…
“For now, Trumpian aggression has won the day… But for excellent historical reasons, Latin Americans hate being dictated to by gringos… Most Latin American leaders will resist a decisive break with Washington—the U.S. is still too important a trade and diplomatic partner to antagonize just for kicks. But Latin American leaders will not wish to be seen submitting passively to the United States in full imperialist mode. Not when the Chinese embassy is just one phone call away.”
Quico Toro, The Atlantic
“Trump promised to crack down on illegal immigration, a vow many Americans support. But so far, his administration has been much more fixated on punishing legal immigrants — by threatening to raise their taxes, expatriate their kids and block them from the United States altogether…
“[Refugees] submit to multiple rounds of interviews about their history of persecution and then layers and layers of additional security and health screenings. This process should be a model for the kind of ‘extreme vetting’ Trump advocates. Yet this week, Trump suspended the entire refugee system and canceled flights of refugees already cleared and scheduled to come here. Among those stranded are 1,700 Afghans, including many who helped American military efforts…
“He likewise ended a Biden-era program that allowed citizens of certain countries to apply to come here, with advanced permission, after undergoing screening and securing an American financial sponsor… Shutting down these legal, orderly routes for immigrating to America not only betrays the people who waited patiently and followed our laws. It also incentivizes more illegal immigration, since desperate people fleeing war and persecution will still find ways to come.”
Catherine Rampell, Washington Post
The right praises Trump’s diplomatic efforts and immigration policies.
The right praises Trump’s diplomatic efforts and immigration policies.
“The idea of any regime having the temerity to refuse to take back its citizens who are abroad illegally is not one that America (or Trump’s administration) can afford to countenance, and while all the usual suspects were rending their garments about it online, I for once found myself pleased to see Trump wield the Big Stick of international diplomacy like a mace…
“Trump’s first week has been a remarkable mixture of impressively bold, broad, sure-footed moves and overreaching folly… But when he wields America’s Big Stick properly and with such surprisingly effective vigor, he delivers on the promises he made during the 2024 campaign to the voters who elected him.”
Jeffrey Blehar, National Review
Some argue, “Since the end of the Bush administration, the U.S. has let its commercial relationships within its own hemisphere languish, and China has taken the opportunity to burnish its trading ties with those countries. The U.S. should be seeking to undo China’s advances and deepen its ties with Latin America…
“If the U.S. is going to treat Colombia this way, despite a long-standing trade agreement and official status as a major non-NATO ally, it could deter other Latin American countries from taking any U.S. commitments seriously.”
Dominic Pino, National Review
“Implementing Trump’s plan will require ICE to have at least 100,000 detention beds, 12,000 more ICE agents, 4,000 more OPLA attorneys, 1,000 EOIR immigration judges, and 1,000 ICE mission support staff… Democrats will try to make the price tag seem like too high a cost to pay, but in the past four years they have spent billions on non-governmental organizations to facilitate bringing millions of illegal aliens here…
“In addition to funding ICE on a historic scale, Congress also has a crucial role to play when it comes to putting pressure on illegal aliens to self-deport. A good place to start would be cracking down on employers who hire illegal aliens. Requiring businesses to use an electronic verification system to confirm their employees’ work eligibility would largely fix this problem, but if some illegal aliens slipped through the cracks, Congress has still more tools at its disposal…
“[For example] Congress should pass a law that requires American banks to confirm an applicant’s legal status before issuing a home loan. No illegal alien should be able to live out the American dream of owning a home when so many of our fellow citizens can hardly afford to pay the rent. If aliens can’t get a job, can’t send money back to their families, can’t access welfare, can’t send their children to schools for free, and can’t buy a home, then many of them will leave on their own.”
Kevin Roberts, Fox News
