The Colombian president said it may be necessary to &#8220;get rid of&#8221; President Donald Trump as the United States escalates counternarcotics operations in the region.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro made the comment in an interview with Univision on Monday regarding the best possible outcome of negotiations with the Trump administration.
“Humanity has a first offramp, it is to choose to change Trump in various ways,” Petro told Univision’s Daniel Coronell.
“The easiest way may be through Trump himself. If not, get rid of Trump,” he said while snapping his fingers.
Trump has escalated a pressure campaign in recent weeks against Colombia over drug trafficking in the region, labeling Petro as an “illegal drug dealer” with “a fresh mouth toward America.”
Wes Tabor, who led the Drug Enforcement Administration’s office in Caracas in 2012, told The Daily Wire that Petro has slowly pulled away from having ties with the United States, while moving closer to the socialist regime of Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro.
&#8220;His background is steeped in these freedom fighting, kind[s] of guerrilla warfare &#8230; socialism, Marxism, and things like that. And we have seen in the last year more aggressively coming out of Colombia, they are saying, &#8216;listen, we are going to side with Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela,&#8221; said Tabor.
&#8220;When we look historically, the relationship has been really good,&#8221; he added.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-takes-out-another-boat-in-caribbean-killing-four-suspected-narco-terrorists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration has taken out several drug cartel vessels in the Caribbean in recent weeks, killing more than two dozen suspected narco traffickers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: Colombia&#8217;s President Petro wraps his Univision interview by saying that if <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> won&#8217;t change, the solution is to &#8220;get rid of Trump&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/JzRYHGPIzX">pic.twitter.com/JzRYHGPIzX</a>
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/1980440840465182847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
Trump recently pledged to cut aid to Colombia and impose new tariffs after Petro accused the United States of striking a fisherman rather than narcoterrorists.
“U.S. government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters,” Petro wrote on social media at the time, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/world/americas/trump-colombia-petro-aid.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The New York Times.
Last week, Trump <a href="https://x.com/OrlvndoA/status/1978557056878514557" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> a plan to carry out covert CIA operations in Venezuela against Maduro, stating that he authorized enhanced action over the Latin American country&#8217;s role in criminal migrants crossing the Southern border and the trafficking of lethal drugs killing Americans.

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Colombian President Pushes To ‘Get Rid Of Trump’ Amid U.S. Counternarcotics Campaign In Caribbean

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President Donald Trump locks in a critical deal with Australia as he presses on several foreign policy fronts, the administration ramps up the Caribbean war on drugs, and a Christian couple loses their foster care license over gender theory.
It’s Tuesday, October 21, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">White House Roundup</h2>
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Topline: The weekend protesters may have cleared out, but it’s shaping up to be another wild week in Washington – with a major presidential focus on foreign policy. 
Ukraine: President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday. While it wasn’t their most contentious meeting, Trump seems less bullish on Ukraine since his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump suggested that he’s not ready yet to provide Ukraine with the Tomahawk missiles they’ve requested.
Australia: On a more positive note, Trump had a productive meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday.
The two leaders signed a critical minerals and rare earths deal. Under the agreement, the United States and Australian governments will invest more than $3 billion in critical mineral projects over the next six months, “with recoverable resources in the projects estimated to be worth $53 billion,” according to the White House.
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The deal also includes a lot of burden sharing and making new defense investments that will strengthen the alliance between the United States and Australia.
On the home front: The president recently decided to weigh in on upcoming elections. Trump made a late-breaking endorsement of Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears for Virginia governor.
The endorsement of Earle-Sears comes when the race is tightening because of a scandal lower down on the ballot with the Democratic candidate for state attorney general, Jay Jones.
In New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, Trump has endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
The New Jersey race is also tightening up significantly. Ciattarelli came close to winning in 2021. Trump endorsed him in May because Ciattarelli was in a primary battle then.
Shutdown showdown: The shutdown shows no sign of ending soon. Rumors on Capitol Hill suggest rank-and-file Democrats want to negotiate an “off-ramp” with Republicans, but no one has said what that looks like. The posture of the situation is best described as a waiting period to see what Democrats will do.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump&#8217;s War On Narco-Terrorists</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-988771" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-768x433.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-2048x1153.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Trump administration is massively escalating its counternarcotics campaign in the Caribbean against suspected drug traffickers. 
Venezuela: The Trump administration saw the destruction that occurred to the United States under the Biden presidency when it came to opening up our borders. According to Trump, that pulled countries like Venezuela to send in prisoners, gangbangers, and narcotraffickers, and the president says he wants that to end for good.
Trump is pressuring the Maduro regime by carrying out dramatic kinetic strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and sending the message that there is a new sheriff in town.
Former DEA Attache for Venezuela Wes Tabor told The Daily Wire that the pressure is so extreme that he doesn’t see Maduro staying in power much longer.
“There&#8217;s an internal pressure that&#8217;s boiling between Nicolas Maduro and between the Estado Alliance, who is basically the head of the military and also in the Senate. And he has a lot of power with the military, whereas Maduro is the figurehead. He&#8217;s the president. Those two are battling it out right now in the country,” said Tabor.
“I&#8217;ve heard rumors from my sources in Venezuela,” he continued. “They&#8217;re saying, you know, there have been a few times that Nicolas Maduro was thinking about bugging out.”
Colombia: Trump wants Colombia to be wary of becoming the next Venezuela — signaling that the United States could take a stricter stance against Bogotá and its leadership if the government refuses to cooperate with his administration. The Colombian president is slowly chipping away at the longstanding relationship with a United States that has cracked down on cocaine production.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Anti-Christian Foster Care Case</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-988773" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-300x168.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="168" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-300x168.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-768x431.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-1536x862.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-2048x1150.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The state of Massachusetts has revoked the license of foster parents Lydia and Heath Marvin, both Christians, after the couple refused to sign a “gender-affirming” policy. The couple is now taking legal action, claiming religious discrimination.
The Marvins: The Marvins have been fostering children since 2020, primarily infants and toddlers with medical needs or special challenges – the kind of children few homes are equipped to handle. Their record shows they accepted cases others turned down.
In April, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) revoked their fostering license. The stated reason: the Marvins declined to sign the state’s revised LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Policy — specifically a section requiring foster parents to affirm a child’s gender identity and sexual orientation.
The Marvins argue that signing would conflict with their sincerely held Christian convictions. They’ve initiated legal action, claiming religious discrimination and violation of their First Amendment rights.
The DCF: DCF officials insist their duty is to protect children. In their view, that means placing kids only in homes that will affirm their gender identity and sexual orientation.
Step back: Critics such as journalist and child-welfare expert Naomi Schaefer Riley say the state has lost sight of the bigger mission.
“A lot of these states have just really lost sight of the goal there — which should be providing as many options for safe, loving homes as possible to these kids,” Riley told The Daily Wire.
Riley, who has written extensively on family policy, says this case fits a growing national pattern where religious foster families feel pressured to abandon their beliefs or stop fostering altogether. That’s a serious problem because, according to a <a href="https://cafo.org/faith-foster-care-and-the-surprising-path-to-flourishing/#:~:text=This%20week%2C%20the%20Institute%20for,11%25)">study</a> released just last month, Christians are more than three times more likely to foster a child compared to those with no religious affiliation. They’re also more likely to adopt out of the foster care system.
It’s a trend: In Massachusetts, another couple — Mike and Kitty Burke — were rejected as foster parents last year after expressing Catholic beliefs about marriage and gender that didn’t align with the state’s policy.
And in Oregon, a woman named Jessica Bates was denied a foster license for refusing to commit to gender-affirming practices. Her case is now before a federal appeals court.
Riley says many more conflicts never make the headlines.
“Once they make clear they’re looking for parents who fit a certain mold, people of faith either violate their own principles to comply, or they just don’t sign up at all because they know the agency is going to be hostile to their religious practice,” she said.
Hope for the Marvins: One major court precedent is the 2021 Supreme Court decision Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. In that case, the court ruled that the city violated the Free Exercise Clause when it stopped contracting with Catholic Social Services because the agency wouldn’t certify same-sex couples.
The court said that because Philadelphia’s rules allowed for exceptions, the city couldn’t deny a religious exemption.
Legal analysts say the Marvin case could hinge on similar reasoning — whether Massachusetts’ policy is truly “neutral and generally applicable,” or if it targets religious beliefs.
The Marvins’ lawsuit, filed with help from Alliance Defending Freedom, is still in early stages.

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Morning Brief: Trump Foreign Policy Blitz, War On Narco-Terrorists, & Foster Care’s Faith Problem

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Sunday that the U.S. military took out a drug-smuggling boat he said was connected to a Colombian terrorist group. 
According to Hegseth, the Department of War on Friday conducted a lethal kinetic strike targeting a vessel linked to the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a designated foreign terrorist organization. The ELN, also known as the National Liberation Army, is an insurgent group that clashes with the Colombian government. 
“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route, and was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics,” Hegseth said. “There were three male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike—which was conducted in international waters. All three terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
On October 17th, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a Designated Terrorist Organization, that was operating in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.
The… <a href="https://t.co/1v7oR879LC">pic.twitter.com/1v7oR879LC</a>
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/1979930208472912048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“These cartels are the Al Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere, using violence, murder and terrorism to impose their will, threaten our national security and poison our people. The United States military will treat these organizations like the terrorists they are—they will be hunted, and killed, just like Al Qaeda,” Hegseth added. 
Earlier this month, Hegseth set up a new counter-narcotics task force meant to target drug cartels operating in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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The ELN is one of the “one of the most powerful insurgent groups in Colombia,” <a href="https://www.dni.gov/nctc/terrorist_groups/eln.html">according</a> to the National Counterterrorism Center, which is staffed with personnel from various federal intelligence agencies. With around 2,500 fighters, the group aims to control portions of Colombia where drugs are produced through armed assaults, assassinations, extortion operations, and hostage-takings. 
The strike comes as President Donald Trump has been placing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-puts-colombian-president-on-notice-over-drug-production-close-up-these-killing-fields?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Puts+Colombian+President+On+Notice+Over+Drug+Production%3A+‘Close+Up+These+Killing+Fields’">increased pressure</a> on Colombian authorities to crack down on drug trafficking. Trump announced over the weekend that he would be cutting off foreign aid to the South American country. 
“They don&#8217;t have a fight against drugs. They make drugs. They refine drugs. They make cocaine. They have cocaine factories. They have no fight against drugs. And I&#8217;m stopping all payments to Colombia because they don&#8217;t have anything to do with their fight against drugs,” Trump said Sunday night. “They are a drug manufacturing machine, Colombia, and we&#8217;re not going to be part of it.”

President Trump Holds Cabinet Meeting At The White House

U.S. Takes Out Narco-Terror Boat As Trump Yanks Aid To Colombia

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President Donald Trump put Colombian President Gustavo Petro on notice in an early Sunday morning announcement, calling on him to rein in drug production in his country and threatening to do it for him if he chose not do so on his own.
Trump lashed out at Petro via his Truth Social platform, saying that he planned to put a stop to all payments and subsidies that the United States gave to Colombia would be stopped if Petro — &#8220;a low-rated and unpopular leader&#8221; — didn&#8217;t comply with his wishes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/RkULBLNrzI">pic.twitter.com/RkULBLNrzI</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1979892335690629356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;President Gustavo Petro, of Colombia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia,&#8221; Trump posted. &#8220;It has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America. AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA.&#8221;
&#8220;The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely. Thank you for your attention to this matter!&#8221;
Just one day prior, Trump posted about another strike on narco-terrorists in a submarine headed toward the United States, saying that the two terrorists who&#8217;d survived the attack were being returned to their home countries — Ecuador and Colombia.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/3oRyqbFY0X">pic.twitter.com/3oRyqbFY0X</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1979621169629155743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route. U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics. There were four known narcoterrorists on board the vessel. Two of the terrorists were killed,&#8221; he posted. &#8220;At least 25,000 Americans would die if I allowed this submarine to come ashore. The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Under my watch, the United States of America will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or by sea. Thank you for your attention to this matter!&#8221;

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Meets With Donald Trump At The White House

Trump Puts Colombian President On Notice Over Drug Production: ‘Close Up These Killing Fields’

Trump Puts Colombian President On Notice Over Drug Production: 'Close Up These Killing Fields'

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A 16-year-old illegal immigrant from Colombia who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-teen-gets-off-easy-after-killing-colorado-woman-in-high-speed-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received</a> probation and community service after killing 24-year-old Kaitlyn Weaver in a high-speed crash in Aurora, Colorado, was nabbed by federal immigration agents last week.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed on Thursday that the illegal immigrant teen was arrested &#8220;along with his family who are also illegal aliens.&#8221; Last July, the Colombian teenager plowed into Weaver&#8217;s vehicle while driving around 90 mph in a residential area, according to authorities. Weaver, who was driving home from work and talking over speaker phone with her boyfriend at the time of the crash, was &#8220;effectively killed instantly,&#8221; her father, John Weaver, said.
ICE&#8217;s Denver field office blasted the Arapahoe District Attorney’s Office for letting the illegal immigrant off the hook.
&#8220;For the @DA18th justice is no jail time and probation for this criminal alien who killed a young woman while driving more than 90mph. For ICE, justice is arrest and removal,&#8221; ICE Denver wrote on X. &#8220;A 16-year-old citizen of Colombia, with a conviction for reckless driving resulting in death was arrested by ICE Denver officers last week and will remain in ICE custody pending an immigration hearing.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
was arrested by ICE Denver officers last week and will remain in ICE custody pending an immigration hearing. <a href="https://t.co/zdhjgyFYfb">pic.twitter.com/zdhjgyFYfb</a>
&mdash; ICE Denver (@ERODenver) <a href="https://twitter.com/ERODenver/status/1928186233856909713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Along with residing in the United States illegally, the teen was also illegally driving his mother&#8217;s uninsured vehicle, which his mother said he took without permission. The juvenile also had other minors in his vehicle when he crashed into Weaver.
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John Weaver said that the district attorney&#8217;s office initially promised to pursue the maximum sentence for the teenager, which would have been two years in a correctional facility. Under new Democratic District Attorney Amy Padden, however, the illegal immigrant was offered two years of probation if he pleaded guilty. Arapahoe County Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley said the plea deal was handled by an experienced prosecutor and was not influenced by the new district attorney. The deal was upheld by a judge after hearing from the Weaver family, Brackley added.
Weaver <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-prosecutor-offers-unlicensed-undocumented-teen-probation-deadly-crash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worked</a> at a drug rehab center in Aurora and was always looking for ways to care for other people, according to her father. Before taking the job at the drug rehab center, Weaver volunteered for a suicide hotline.
&#8220;She was really trying to make a difference in their lives every day,&#8221; her father said.

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ICE Nabs Illegal Immigrant Teen Who Received No Jail Time After Killing Colorado Woman

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The Colombian government has noted a drastic increase in the number of Venezuelan migrants that appear to be returning to their country of origin and a drop in the number of migrants attempting to reach the United States, changes that the Latin American government attributes to President Donald Trump’s border security measures.
Colombia <a href="https://www.local10.com/espanol/2025/03/11/colombia-registra-aumento-en-migracion-de-retorno-de-venezolanos-y-pide-requisitos-para-su-entrada/">recorded</a> 9,353 Venezuelan migrants who entered the country from Panama between January and February, marking a drastic increase from the previous year, when only 4,031 Venezuelans entered the country from Panama. The change is an indication that an increasing number of migrants have abandoned their attempts to enter the United States.
The report from the Colombian government attributes the increase to the new immigration policies of the Trump administration. &#8220;The majority of migrants indicate they come from Mexico, where they had been waiting for an appointment with U.S. authorities for one to three months,” the report states, adding that “with the change in U.S. immigration policies, they made the decision to return.”
The Colombian government also noted a drastic decrease in the number of migrants attempting to cross through the treacherous Darien Gap, a stretch of jungle connecting South America to Central America. Colombia recorded a striking 61 percent drop in migratory flow through the area, which has historically been a key route that would-be migrants use to enter Central America on their way to the border of the United States.
The plummeting number of migrants coming from Venezuela and attempting to enter the United States comes less than three months after President Donald Trump took office and rolled out a slate of immigration policies aimed at securing the southern border and disincentivizing illegal immigration into the United States.
The administration shut down Biden’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One app, which allowed migrants to remotely schedule parole appointments, expediting the flow of more than a million migrants into the interior of the United States. The administration refashioned the app this week, naming it the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-transforms-bidens-cbp-one-app-leave-now-and-self-deport">CBP Home</a> app. The platform now allows illegal aliens to declare their intent to depart the United States.
The Trump administration has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ice-arrests-11000-illegal-aliens-in-first-18-days-of-trump-administration">deported</a> 11,000 illegal aliens in the first 18 days of his second term. The deportation effort is being bolstered by various different agencies within the executive branch, with the Department of Defense working to prepare the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to house <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/united-states-begins-flying-illegal-aliens-to-guantanamo-bay">tens of thousands</a> of criminal illegal alien detainees.
Vice President JD Vance <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vance-does-victory-lap-at-border-all-it-took-was-a-new-president">celebrated</a> the steep decline in illegal border crossing attempts at a recent visit to the southern border, where he touted a 98 percent drop in crossings and said &#8220;we didn’t need fancy legislation, we just needed a new President of the United States.”

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Latin American Country Sees Drop In Migration To U.S., Attributes Decline To Trump Border Policies

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The time of a weak America is over. 
Over the weekend, President Trump was golfing when he decided it was time to teach the government of Colombia what would happen if they mess with him.
Colombia had announced that they were not going to accept planes filled with deportees, as the Trump administration had moved very quickly when it came into office to start arresting and deporting people who are criminal illegal immigrants.
That included many Colombian deportees. The president of Colombia stated — while President Trump was in the middle of a round of golf — that he would not accept any of those deportees. 
Trump took a quick break in his golf game and issued <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113896070273857964" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this statement</a>:
<blockquote>I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia. This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people. Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures: 
-Emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States. In one week, the 25% tariffs will be raised to 50%.
-A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters.
-Visa Sanctions on all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government.
-Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds.
-IEEPA Treasury, Banking and Financial Sanctions to be fully imposed. 
  
These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!</blockquote>
Within roughly 10 minutes of President Trump putting out a statement that he would be increasing the tariffs on Colombian products to 25% this week, followed by 50% next week, the government of Colombia totally caved.
The White House Press Secretary <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/1883716584843391025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a>:
<blockquote>The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump&#8217;s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay. Based on this agreement, the fully drafted IEEPA tariffs and sanctions will be held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement. The visa sanctions issued by the State Department and enhanced inspections from Customs and Border Protection will remain in effect until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned. Today&#8217;s events make clear to the world that America is respected again. President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation’s sovereignty, and he expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States. </blockquote>
This was the ultimate FAFO.
Gustavo Petro, the leader of Colombia, a socialist who is a big fan of Nicolás Maduro and an even bigger fan of Hugo Chávez, is wildly unpopular in his own country. He had sought to cast Trump’s threat as an affront to his country&#8217;s freedom, saying, “You don&#8217;t like our freedom? Fine. I do not shake hands with white slaveholders. … You will never dominate us.”
There&#8217;s only one problem. They got dominated.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2125-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Petro put out a long, rambling statement which demonstrated how psychotic the far Left is when they are both in power and out of power.
He made a <a href="https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/1883624818811236502" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on X after he had lost, which has been <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/colombia-president-petro-responds-trump-tariffs-full-statement-2021072" target="_blank" rel="noopener">translated</a> to English. It is worth considering his statement in full:
<blockquote>Trump, I don&#8217;t really like travelling to the US. It&#8217;s a bit boring, but I confess that there are some commendable things. I like going to the Black neighborhoods of Washington, where I saw a fight in the US capital between Blacks and Latinos with barricades, which seemed like nonsense to me, because they should join together.
I confess that I like Walt Whitman and Paul Simon and Noam Chomsky and Miller.
I confess that Sacco and Vanzetti, who have my blood, are memorable in the history of the USA and I follow them.
(Sacco and Vanzetti were convicted anarchist murderers who were put to death during the Woodrow Wilson administration.)
They were murdered by labor leaders in the electric chair, by the fascists who are within the USA as well as within my country.
I don&#8217;t like your oil, Trump. It&#8217;s going to wipe out the human species because of greed. Maybe one day, with a glass of whiskey that I accept, despite my gastritis, we can talk frankly about this, but it&#8217;s difficult because you consider me part of an inferior race and I&#8217;m not, nor is any Colombian.
So, if you know someone who is stubborn, that&#8217;s me, period. You can try to carry out a coup with your economic strength and your arrogance, like they did with Allende. But I will die true to my principles, I resisted torture and I resist you. I don&#8217;t want slavers next in Colombia, we already had many and we freed ourselves. What I want next in Colombia are lovers of freedom. If you can&#8217;t join me, I&#8217;ll go elsewhere. Colombia is the heart of the world, and you didn&#8217;t understand that, this is the land of the yellow butterflies, of the beauty of Remedios, but also of the colonels like Aureliano Buendía, of which I am one, perhaps the last.
You will kill me, but I will survive in my people, which lives, before yours, in the Americas. We are peoples of the winds, the mountains, the Caribbean Sea and of freedom.
You don&#8217;t like our freedom, okay. I don&#8217;t shake hands with White slavers. I shake hands with the White libertarian heirs of Lincoln and the Black and White farm boys of the USA, at whose graves I cried and prayed on a battlefield, which I reached after walking the mountains of Italian Tuscany and after being saved from Covid.
They are the United States, and before them I kneel, before no one else. 
Overthrow me, Mr. President, and the Americas and humanity will respond.
Colombia now stops looking north, it looks at the world. Our blood comes from the blood of the Caliphate of Cordoba, the civilization of that time, of the Roman Latins of the Mediterranean, the civilization of that time, who founded the republic, democracy in Athens; our blood comes from the Black resistance fighters turned into slaves by you. Colombia is the first free territory of America, before Washington, [before] of all America, and I take refuge in its African songs.
My land is made up of goldsmiths who worked in the time of the Egyptian pharaohs and of the first artists in the world in Chiribiquete.
You will never rule us. You&#8217;re opposed to the warrior who rode our lands, shouting freedom, whose name is (Simon) Bolívar.
Our people are somewhat fearful, somewhat timid, they are naive and kind, loving, but they will know how to win the Panama Canal, which you took from us with violence. Two hundred heroes from all of Latin America lie in Bocas del Toro, today&#8217;s Panama, formerly Colombia, which you murdered.
I raise a flag and as (Jorge Eliecer) Gaitán said, even if it remains alone, it will continue to be raised with the Latin American dignity that is the dignity of America, which your great-grandfather did not know, and mine did, Mr. President, an immigrant in the USA.
Your blockade does not scare me, because Colombia, besides being the country of beauty, is the heart of the world. I know that you love beauty as I do, do not disrespect it and it will give its sweetness to you.
FROM TODAY ON, COLOMBIA IS OPEN TO THE ENTIRE WORLD, WITH OPEN ARMS, WE ARE BUILDERS OF FREEDOM, LIFE AND HUMANITY. 
I am informed that you impose a 50% tariff on the fruits of our human labor to enter the United States, and I do the same.
Let our people plant corn that was discovered in Colombia and feed the world.</blockquote>
What the hell is he saying? Let&#8217;s be clear about this. He lost, and now he&#8217;s mad that he lost. But this is what happens when you screw around with the greatest economic powerhouse in the history of the world and happen to be a much smaller country with a much less robust economy.
Marco Rubio, our secretary of state, put out an excellent statement in which he <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1883615012217839902" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a>, “President Trump has made it clear that under his administration, America will no longer be lied to nor taken advantage of. It is the responsibility of each nation to take back their citizens who are illegally present in the United States in a serious and expeditious manner. Colombian President Petro had authorized flights and provided all needed authorizations and then canceled his authorization when the planes were in the air. As demonstrated by today’s actions, we are unwavering in our commitment to end illegal immigration and bolster America’s border security.”
Then Trump, as the Troll Master he is, put out <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113896394915126793" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a post</a> on Truth Social that was utterly hilarious. It is a picture of Trump looking like Al Capone, with a Borsalino hat, a pinstriped suit, and a red tie. And in the background is a sign reading FAFO with a drawn happy face.
In his inaugural address last week, Trump pledged, “We are no longer going to be weak. We are going to be strong.”
If Colombia had said no under Joe Biden, the State Department would have done an investigation which would have led to several recommendations. Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, would have suggested that they weren&#8217;t sensitive enough, saying something like, “After reviewing these particular recommendations, we&#8217;re going back to the drawing board.” Several weeks later, they would have come back with a series of recommendations, at which point there would have been a commission to do a study on what should be done. And the end result would have been a deportation of possibly one-quarter of the illegal immigrants, along with billions of dollars sent to Colombia. 
We could have had that.
But, thank God, we got the “brutal, rude, nasty, arrogant” President Trump doing the thing that actually works, which is this: You screw with us and you get the sharp end of the stick.
It&#8217;s not all that tough.
Now, that doesn&#8217;t mean there aren&#8217;t thorny international issues. China is a massive, thorny international issue, but Colombia proclaiming they&#8217;re not going to accept plane loads of illegal immigrants back into their country is not a thorny international issue. This is one that President Trump could solve while tweeting from the golf course. 
Because guess what? There&#8217;s something President Trump has always understood: When you are the United States of America, the most powerful force in the history of the world, you don&#8217;t need to play around with losers.
Gustavo Petro is a loser, a representative of a failed ideology, and he doesn&#8217;t have any power behind him. There is no reason for the United States to mess around with him.
FAFO. That is the message.
And that message is being broadcast loud and clear by the entire administration. Top to bottom, they are making clear that when it comes to illegal immigration, the buck stops with them.
We are done being weak.

US-POLITICS-REPUBLICANS-TRUMP

Trump Goes Full FAFO

Ben Shapiro

Opinion

President Trump

Tariffs

UN-DIPLOMACY-UNGA

Trump Teaches Colombia A Hard Lesson

Deportations

illegal immigrants

Matt Walsh

South America

On Monday, a number of visa appointments at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia were canceled.
The news came in the wake of President Trump’s dominant victory on Sunday, when he brusquely threatened Colombian president Gustavo Petro over his declaration that he would not permit two U.S. Air Force planes transporting Colombian deportees to land in Colombia. Trump immediately threatened to impose tariffs and other penalties, forcing Petro to back down.
The U.S. Embassy in Bogota passed out letters on Monday stating that the appointments had been canceled “due to the Colombian government’s refusal to accept repatriation flights of Colombian nationals,” the Associated Press <a href="//2FE3425F-5A95-4A6F-80B0-A1CA7AE558F3/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, adding, “Last year, more than 1.6 million Colombians traveled to the U.S. legally, according to a report by the Ministry of Commerce. The report said the United States was the top destination for Colombians traveling abroad.”
On Sunday, Colombia announced that they were not going to accept the plane flights filled with deportees.
Trump immediately <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113896070273857964">issued</a> this statement:
<blockquote>
I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia. This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people. Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures: Emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States. 
In one week, the 25% tariffs will be raised to 50%. A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters. Visa Sanctions on all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government. Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds. IEEPA Treasury, Banking and Financial Sanctions to be fully imposed. These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!
</blockquote>
Within a few hours, the Colombian government reversed its decision.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued this statement:
<blockquote>
The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump&#8217;s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay. Based on this agreement, the fully drafted IEEPA tariffs and sanctions will be held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement.
 The visa sanctions issued by the State Department and enhanced inspections from Customs and Border Protection will remain in effect until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned. Today&#8217;s events make clear to the world that America is respected again. President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation’s sovereignty, and he expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States.
</blockquote>
Secretary of State Marco Rubio added, “President Trump has made it clear that under his administration, America will no longer be lied to nor taken advantage of. It is the responsibility of each nation to take back their citizens who are illegally present in the United States in a serious and expeditious manner. Colombian President Petro had authorized flights and provided all needed authorizations and then canceled his authorization when the planes were in the air. As demonstrated by today’s actions, we are unwavering in our commitment to end illegal immigration and bolster America’s border security.”

US Embassy In Bogota Cancels Appointments For Colombian Citizens Requesting Visas

After Trump Shuts Down Colombian President, Visa Appts At U.S. Embassy In Colombia Canceled

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is a former Marxist terrorist, reversed course on Sunday after he blocked two U.S. flights from landing in the country that were carrying criminal illegal aliens from the country.
&#8220;The Government of Colombia, under the direction of President Gustavo Petro, has arranged the presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of the compatriots who were going to arrive in the country today in the morning, coming from deportation flights,&#8221; Petro&#8217;s office said in a statement. &#8220;This measure responds to the Government&#8217;s commitment to guarantee decent conditions. In no way have Colombians, as patriots and subjects of rights, have not been and will be banished from Colombian territory.&#8221;
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that under President Donald Trump&#8217;s leadership, the U.S. &#8220;will no longer be lied to nor taken advantage of.&#8221;
&#8220;It is the responsibility of each nation to take back their citizens who are illegally present in the United States in a serious and expeditious manner,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Colombian President Petro had authorized flights and provided all needed authorizations and then canceled his authorization when the planes were in the air. As demonstrated by today’s actions, we are unwavering in our commitment to end illegal immigration and bolster America’s border security.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump has made it clear that under his administration, America will no longer be lied to nor taken advantage of. It is the responsibility of each nation to take back their citizens who are illegally present in the United States in a serious and expeditious manner.…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@secrubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/secrubio/status/1883615012217839902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
The reversal by Petro came just several minutes after Trump announced a series of tough measures against the country for refusing the flights, including:
<ul>
<li>Emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States. In one week, the 25% tariffs will be raised to 50%.</li>
<li>A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters.</li>
<li>Visa Sanctions on all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government.</li>
<li>Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds. 
IEEPA Treasury, Banking and Financial Sanctions to be fully imposed.</li>
</ul>
Trump said that the measures were only &#8220;the beginning&#8221; and that the U.S. &#8220;will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!&#8221;
The announcement from the president came about an hour after an official with knowledge of the situation <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/retaliation-coming-after-colombias-marxist-president-refuses-deportation-flights-u-s-official">told The Daily Wire</a> that Trump would be taking immediate action against Colombia.
There are approximately 200,000 illegal aliens from Colombia living in the U.S., according to the most recent data from the Pew Research Center from 2022.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa Receives The President Of Colombia Gustavo Petro

Colombia’s President Reverses Course Following U.S. Retaliation After It Blocked Deportation Flights

Marco Rubio

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday retaliatory measures against Colombia after the Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is a former <a href="https://www.heritage.org/americas/commentary/4-reasons-colombias-new-marxist-president-should-alarm-american-policymakers">Marxist terrorist</a>, rejected allowing deportation flights from the U.S. to land in his country.
&#8220;I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia,&#8221; Trump posted on social media. &#8220;This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people.&#8221;
Trump said that Petro&#8217;s denial of the flights has &#8220;jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States&#8221; and as result he has decided to take the following immediate actions against Colombia:
<ul>
<li>Emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States. In one week, the 25% tariffs will be raised to 50%.</li>
<li>A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters.</li>
<li>Visa Sanctions on all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government.</li>
<li>Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds.</li>
<li>IEEPA Treasury, Banking and Financial Sanctions to be fully imposed.</li>
</ul>
Trump said that the measures were only &#8220;the beginning&#8221; and that the U.S. &#8220;will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!&#8221;
The announcement from the president came about an hour after an official with knowledge of the situation <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/retaliation-coming-after-colombias-marxist-president-refuses-deportation-flights-u-s-official">told The Daily Wire</a> that Trump would be taking immediate action against Colombia.
There are approximately 200,000 illegal aliens from Colombia living in the U.S., according to the most recent data from the Pew Research Center from 2022.
The New York Times reported that it’s not clear whether Colombia is legally allowed to turn away its own citizens.

President Donald Trump Delivers Remarks In Las Vegas

Trump Takes Action Against Colombia After Its Marxist President Refuses Deportation Flights

The Trump administration is preparing to issue retaliatory measures against Colombia after its communist president announced that he will not allow the U.S. to deport illegal aliens back to the country.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is a former <a href="https://www.heritage.org/americas/commentary/4-reasons-colombias-new-marxist-president-should-alarm-american-policymakers">Marxist terrorist</a>, posted on X: &#8220;The U.S. cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals.&#8221;
&#8220;I deny the entry of American planes carrying Colombian migrants into our territory,&#8221; he added.
He claimed that the U.S. &#8220;must establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them.&#8221;
An official with knowledge of the situation told The Daily Wire on Sunday that the U.S. would be quickly responding by rolling out retaliatory measures.
&#8220;In response to President Petro’s refusal to accept two flights of Colombian deportees, which President Petro had authorized and were previously approved at the highest levels of government, U.S. Embassy Colombia is closing the visa section tomorrow,&#8221; the official said.
They added that additional retaliatory measures will be &#8220;rolled out soon.&#8221;
There are approximately 200,000 illegal aliens from Colombia living in the U.S., according to the most recent data from the Pew Research Center from 2022.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/world/americas/colombia-us-deportation-flights.html">reported</a> that it&#8217;s not clear whether Colombia is legally allowed to turn away its own citizens.
This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Retaliation Coming After Colombia’s Marxist President Refuses Deportation Flights: U.S. Official

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