Trump’s making waves on the international stage. And not everyone is happy about it.
But this foreign leader wrote one letter that left Donald Trump grinning ear to ear.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro folded yet again under President Trump’s tough new immigration policies, this time urging his citizens who are in the U.S. illegally to quit their jobs “immediately” and return home.
Petro’s plea for voluntary returns came just days after his failed attempt to block deportation flights—an effort that crumbled when Trump responded with the threat of punishing trade tariffs as high as 50%.
Faced with economic consequences his country couldn’t afford, Petro had no choice but to back down.
“I ask undocumented Colombians in the US to immediately leave their jobs in that country and return to Colombia as soon as possible,” Petro posted on X, a message that quickly went viral, drawing widespread attention.
Despite his humiliating reversal, Petro attempted to reframe his surrender as a patriotic move for Colombia’s economic well-being.
“Wealth is produced only by working people,” he claimed, while promising government-backed loans through Colombia’s Department of Social Prosperity.
“Let’s build social wealth in Colombia,” his statement read, as if his sudden about-face had been part of a grand plan all along.
Petro’s initial defiance had included blocking deportation flights and making reckless slurs about newly inaugurated President Trump.
But it didn’t take long for him to cave, allowing U.S. deportation flights to resume— and even offering Colombia’s own military aircraft to help return illegal migrants.
By Tuesday, two Colombian Air Force planes had landed, carrying more than 200 deported migrants, including women and children.
Desperate to save face, Petro welcomed them back with a post on X, declaring that they were now “free” and “in a country that loves them.”
Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo assured the media that none of the returned migrants had criminal records in the U.S. or Colombia—though it’s unclear whether his claim holds any weight.
Some of the migrants, meanwhile, complained about their treatment on the flights back.
“We were shackled from our feet, our ankles to our hips, like criminals,” José Montaña told AP News, conveniently ignoring the fact that securing deportees during transport is a standard safety measure.
President Trump addressed the showdown with Petro at a House Republican policy conference at his Doral golf club in Florida on Monday.
He made it clear that security protocols would not be changing, reinforcing that migrants must be properly restrained during deportation flights to ensure safety.
Once again, Trump’s leadership proved decisive—forcing yet another weak foreign leader to comply with policies designed to protect American sovereignty.
Stay tuned to Prudent Politics.
