How US Has Responded to Countries Rejecting Deportees

President Donald Trump, watched by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaks to reporters while in flight on Air Force One en route Joint Base Andrews, on Jan. 27, 2025. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump recently threatened tariffs and other measures against Colombia in response to its turning away military flights carrying illegal immigrants deported from the United States.

Trump warned on Jan. 26 that his administration would impose a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Colombia. That amount would rise to 50 percent in seven days should the issue persist. He also threatened to issue a travel ban and visa revocation for Colombian government officials along with “all allies and supporters.”

Later that day, Colombia said it would comply with Trump’s demands and accept their citizens back after deportation.

Colombia’s initial refusal to accept deportee flights is not the first time the United States has encountered resistance from nations in attempting to remove illegal immigrants.

Previous Deportation Issues

The deportation of illegal immigrants was an ongoing international issue during the first Trump administration. In 2019, the Department of Homeland Security issued visa sanctions against Ghana, because the country failed to accept its nationals whom the United States attempted to deport.

Other countries to receive retribution in the form of sanctions under the Trump administration include Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, which were sanctioned in 2017. Burma (also known as Myanmar) and Laos in 2018 were also added to the list of countries that lost privileges because of their lack of cooperation.

Most frequently, the sanctions involved the suspension of temporary visas, or B visas, which were used for business or pleasure and issued to government officials.

Need for Expedited Removal

The Supreme Court’s 2001 decision in Zadvydas v. Davis ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is given six months to either release detained immigrants or arrange for their removal, in most cases.

This applies to illegal immigrants who are under a removal order, even if their country of origin refuses to take them back or has no repatriation agreement with the United States. If ICE is unable to arrange deportation within the six months, the individual generally must be released.

One high-profile example of an illegal immigrant who was released because his detention timer expired took place in 2015, when Haiti failed to accept a Haitian citizen after he was found to have immigrated illegally. The United States attempted to deport him but was eventually forced to release him. He later murdered a 25-year-old woman in her home in Connecticut.

Other Countries Resisting Deportations

In addition to Colombia and Haiti, China has resisted the United States’ delivery of their citizens who have been arrested for illegal immigration.

In August 2022, China ceased cooperation with the United States after a surge in Chinese illegal immigration was seen crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Border officials arrested more than 37,000 Chinese nationals along the southern border in 2023, which was 10 times the number arrested in 2022.

China quietly restarted its cooperation with U.S. agencies in accepting the deportation of Chinese immigrants who were in the United States illegally as of May 2024.

Trump’s deportation to certain Central American countries has been tense.

Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador have the largest numbers of people living illegally in the United States after Mexico. During the previous Trump administration, officials came to agreements with the three countries that allowed U.S. immigration officials to send asylum seekers to the Central American nations.

Venezuela has been known to refuse to accept deportation flights from the United States. In October 2023, deportation flights resumed as ICE struggled with growing numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the border.

A Plan for Deportees Rejected by Home Country

The State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will push El Salvadorian officials to accept deported foreign nationals from countries that won’t accept United States deportation flights.

Mauricio Claver-Carone, special envoy to Latin America, told reporters on Jan. 31 that Rubio’s visit to the Central American country will include diplomatic measures to press the nation’s cooperation with the United States’ deportation efforts.

According to Claver-Carone, the United States hopes to reenact a “safe third country” deal for deportees that would allow the movement of illegal immigrants out of the United States, even if their home countries won’t cooperate. This deal was canceled under the Biden administration.

The agreement would allow foreign nationals to seek asylum in El Salvador after removal from the United States, and they would be barred from seeking asylum in the United States.

“During the first Trump administration, El Salvador was one of three countries that had a ‘safe third’ agreement with the United States, which will also be a topic of discussion,” Claver-Carone said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.