Colombia will resume flights carrying deportees from the United States, as announced this morning by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The resumption of these flights is being interpreted as an attempt to de-escalate tensions between Bogota and Washington, which began a year ago precisely over disagreements about the flight conditions of Colombians deported by Trump.
The announcement also comes just days before the scheduled meeting between President Gustavo Petro and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, at the White House, in a context of gradual rapprochement after months of political, migration, and trade tensions.
The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 3, will shape the future of relations between two historically allied countries but with deep disagreements between their current governments.
The decision comes at a key moment, as both governments seek to rebuild channels of dialogue ahead of a meeting that will be decisive for the bilateral agenda on issues such as migration, regional security, and trade.
Colombia restarts US deportation flights ahead of Petro-Trump talks
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Colombia has resumed repatriation flights of citizens deported from the United States, in coordination with the Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC) and under the argument of guaranteeing dignified treatment for nationals returning to the country.
The decision was officially communicated through institutional social media accounts and accompanied by images of the reception of the first deportees at Bogota’s El Dorado airport by migration authorities and humanitarian organizations.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pleased to inform that starting today, following our commitment to the dignified treatment of our nationals, under the leadership of President Gustavo Petro, and in cooperation with FAC, we are resuming repatriation flights of nationals deported from the United States,” the ministry’s statement says.
The announcement comes just five days before the scheduled meeting between Petro and Trump in Washington. The meeting is set for Feb. 3 and is being presented as a crucial moment to redefine the bilateral relationship after months of frictions that included sanctions, trade threats, and diplomatic clashes.
The resumption of the flights also represents the reactivation of a migration mechanism that had been suspended for nearly a year. According to diplomatic sources, the operation is part of bilateral cooperation and of the Colombian government’s commitment to guaranteeing dignified conditions in deportation processes.
El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores tiene el gusto de informar que a partir de hoy, siguiendo nuestro compromiso con el trato digno a nuestros connacionales, bajo el liderazgo del presidente @petrogustavo, y en cooperación con la @FuerzaAereaCol, reanudamos los vuelos de… pic.twitter.com/atktikvZsA
— Cancillería Colombia (@CancilleriaCol) January 30, 2026
The origin of the January 2025 diplomatic crisis
The background to this decision is directly linked to the diplomatic crisis that erupted in 2025, when the Colombian government refused to authorize the entry of two planes arriving from the United States carrying deported migrants. Bogotá argued at the time that the transport conditions did not guarantee respect for the human rights of its nationals, particularly due to the use of handcuffs and military transport.
The refusal triggered an immediate response from Washington. The Trump administration announced pressure measures that included tariffs on Colombian products and restrictions on migration and consular matters. Tensions reached levels that analysts described as close to a trade conflict between two historic allies in the region.
Subsequently, both countries reached partial agreements that allowed some repatriation operations to resume using Colombian aircraft, although the mechanism did not stabilize due to logistical costs and the persistence of political disagreements.
The resumption of the flights comes at a time when the bilateral relationship is showing signs of easing tensions. In recent weeks, there have been high-level diplomatic contacts and a more conciliatory tone in public statements, in preparation for the meeting at the White House.
The meeting between Petro and Trump is shaping up as an attempt to close a cycle of confrontation and open a more pragmatic stage of cooperation. Colombia is considered a strategic partner in the agenda of security, migration, and the fight against drug trafficking in Latin America, which gives the bilateral relationship significant geopolitical weight.
The migration factor in the bilateral relationship
Migration has become one of the most sensitive pillars in U.S. foreign policy, especially under a strategy that prioritizes reducing migration flows and increasing deportations. This approach has impacted Washington’s relationship with several Latin American countries, including Colombia.
For Colombia, the migration issue has a dual dimension. On the one hand, it implies the obligation to receive its deported citizens. On the other hand, it raises internal debates about human rights, sovereignty, and the operational costs of repatriation programs.
The 2025 dispute reflected precisely that clash of approaches. While Washington emphasized security and migration control, Bogota sought to introduce humanitarian standards into deportation processes.
In this context, the gesture of resuming the flights is seen as a signal of willingness to meet migration commitments and reduce friction ahead of the presidential meeting. For the Colombian government, it also implies reaffirming its narrative of defending the dignity of migrants while maintaining international cooperation on migration matters.