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.”

Darien Gap

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

Border

Colombia

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

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

Donald Trump

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

A huge brawl broke out in Charlotte between fans and members of Uruguay&#8217;s soccer team after players entered the stands following the team’s 1-0 loss to Colombia in the semifinals.
It happened Wednesday night in North Carolina at the Bank of America Stadium where the city was hosting CONMEBOL Copa America match, that represents all 50 states and around 60 countries, <a href="https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/soccer-fans-fill-charlotte-copa-america-semifinal-bank-america-stadium/3HGUD5HUINDPDFKUBLWTSIVW3Y/">WSOC TV</a> reported. Immediately following Uruaguay’s loss, forward Darwin Núñez and about a dozen of his Uruguay teammates <a href="https://x.com/TSN_Sports/status/1811227359217139862">ran into the stands</a> where the major fight broke out.
In <a href="https://x.com/FavianRenkel/status/1811261365849624711">one clip</a>, Nunez can be seen throwing a punch to a fan wearing Colombia colors, the outlet noted. Things then got out of control between fans and players, with beverages and trash being thrown back and forth and people being shoved. 
“This is the best game I’ve ever seen in my life,” Daniel Arias, a fan, said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A contentious Copa America match between Colombia and Uruguay led to angry post-match moments. About a dozen Uruguayan players confronted Colombian fans in the stands after Colombia&#8217;s 1-0 semifinal win in Charlotte, North Carolina. <a href="https://t.co/ErTwNlXiDU">https://t.co/ErTwNlXiDU</a> <a href="https://t.co/vghPgTgtfC">pic.twitter.com/vghPgTgtfC</a>
— ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1811482361915113807?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
“Whether you were cheering for Colombia or Uruguay the atmosphere at Bank of America Stadium was unmatched,” he added. “It was once in a lifetime.”
Another fan, Jorge Gonzales, said, “When I saw the players running, I was like OK, this is about to get ugly.”
Gonzales said he got out his phone and captured the fight which he said appeared to first start between fans and Uruguay players’ family members, the outlet noted.
“I was able to witness a Colombian fan, you know, start crying as his national anthem was played,” Gonzales said. “So, look more for those moments versus, you know, drinking a little bit too much and letting things spiral into chaos.”
The federation that oversees the match released a statement after the fight in Spanish, then translated into English, that read, “La Conmebol strongly condemns any act of violence.”
“Our work is based on the conviction that soccer connects and unites us through its positive values,&#8221; the organization statement added. &#8220;There is no place for intolerance and violence on and off the field. We invite everyone in the remaining days to pour all of their passion into cheering on their national teams and having an unforgettable party.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department was on scene to stop the fight and no one was arrested in connection to the brawl.

Soccer fight

‘Total Disaster’: Brawl Breaks Out With Fans After Uruguayan Players Enter Stands

Fight

North Carolina

Soccer

Sports

U.S.

Uruguay

Four children who were missing after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/plane-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plane crash</a> in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colombia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colombia</a> were found alive and rescued after 40 days alone. 
The children who ranged in age from just 11 months to 13 years old <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/10/colombian-children-found-alive-five-weeks-after-amazon-jungle-plane-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were found</a> in a remote area of the Amazon jungle in Colombia after surviving storms and avoiding dangerous animals and rebel soldiers. A plane carrying the children, their mother, and two other adults had crashed on May 1, killing everyone but the children. 
“They’ve given us an example of total survival that will go down in history,” said Colombian President Gustavo Petro. “A joy for the whole country!”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GeneralGiraldo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GeneralGiraldo</a>: &quot;La unión de esfuerzos hizo posible esta alegría para Colombia&quot; 
Gloria a los soldados de las <a href="https://twitter.com/FuerzasMilCol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FuerzasMilCol</a>, a las comunidades indígenas e instituciones que hicieron parte de la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Operaci%C3%B3nEsperanza?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OperaciónEsperanza</a>&quot; <a href="https://t.co/LO3BPldLgD">pic.twitter.com/LO3BPldLgD</a>
&mdash; Fuerzas Militares de Colombia (@FuerzasMilCol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FuerzasMilCol/status/1667324165278277638?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“Their learning from indigenous families and their learning of living in the jungle has saved them,” Petro said of the children, who are ethnically Huitoto. “They are children of the jungle and now they are children of Colombia.”
The <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/09/americas/colombia-children-amazon-found-intl-latam/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rescued children were</a>: Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy, 13,  Soleiny Jacobombaire Mucutuy, 9, Tien Ranoque Mucutuy, 4, and Cristin Ranoque Mucutuy, just 11 months old. 
Rescuers were sent out after the pilot of the plane issued a call for help due to engine failure. Rescuers found the bodies of the adults, but the children were gone leaving only footprints and other small signs of life. 
For days following the crash, a team combed over a jungle area of about 125 square miles. The team included 150 soldiers and 200 locals, according to the Guardian. 
“This isn’t a needle in a haystack, it’s a tiny flea in a rug because they keep moving,” said Brigadier General Pedro Sanchez “But if, God forbid, they were dead we would have already have found them, because they would be still.”
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Before the children were found, Sanchez said he had a “100% expectation” that his team would be able to rescue the children. 
On Friday, rescuers shouted “Miracle! Miracle! Miracle! Miracle!” as they found footprints that led them to the children. The children were then flown to a hospital for treatment.
“We hope that tomorrow they will be treated at the military hospital,” Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez said after the discovery. 
María Fátima Valencia, the children’s grandmother said she was “going to hug all of them” and “thank everyone.” The family lives in Villavicencio, a city in central Colombia not far from Bogota. 
“I’m going to encourage them, I’m going to push them forward, I need them here,” she said.

4 children missing for 40 days in Amazon jungle found alive in Colombia

‘Miracle’: Four Children Found Alive 40 Days After Plane Crash In Remote Jungle

Airplane crash

Plane Crash

World

Two submarines authorities believe were used to transport cocaine were discovered and seized by officials this week in Europe and South America.
The Colombian Navy <a href="https://www.armada.mil.co/es/content/tragico-transporte-alcaloides-en-un-semisumergible" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement this week that it interdicted a semi-submersible approximately 50 feet long in the Pacific Ocean that contained nearly 3 tons of cocaine, which officials valued at $87 million. The value of that cocaine skyrockets into the hundreds of millions of dollars by the time that it hits the streets of the U.S.
The Colombian military found two individuals on the craft who were experiencing serious health conditions due to some sort of accident that occurred onboard involving breathing in toxic fumes. Two more individuals were found dead on board.
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Al interior de la embarcación, fueron hallados dos sujetos en malas condiciones de salud, y dos cuerpos sin vida, al parecer por la inhalación de gases tóxicos. Esta operación evitó el ingreso de más de 87 millones de dólares a estructuras de organizaciones narcotraficantes. <a href="https://t.co/RFfYIvoMu3">pic.twitter.com/RFfYIvoMu3</a>
&mdash; Armada de Colombia (@ArmadaColombia) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmadaColombia/status/1634972331406917632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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On Tuesday, Spain&#8217;s Civil Guard took <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/14/spain-drugs-semisubmersible-vessel-cocaine/4f0c0788-c272-11ed-82a7-6a87555c1878_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">possession</a> of a submarine off the coast of the northwestern region of Galicia. The vessel was spotted on Monday and officials say it may have carried cocaine.
The vessel, about the same size as the one found by Colombia&#8217;s Navy in the Pacific, was empty when authorities seized it from the bottom of the ocean floor.
Spanish authorities seized a similar vessel with three tons of cocaine on it in 2019.
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Finalmente el sumergible hallado en la zona de Vilagarcía de Aurosa (Pontevedra) es traslado al puerto de Xufre.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GEAS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GEAS</a>: Grupo Especial de Actividades Subacuáticas de la <a href="https://twitter.com/guardiacivil?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@guardiacivil</a> <a href="https://t.co/sgBIcCtt6n">pic.twitter.com/sgBIcCtt6n</a>
&mdash; Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) <a href="https://twitter.com/guardiacivil/status/1635679566004903941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The majority of the world&#8217;s cocaine comes from three countries in northern South America: Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia.
Colombia produces by far the most cocaine out of three nations, with one estimate in 2017 suggesting that there were 460,000 acres in the country that were growing coca plants, a total much higher than when notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar ran the Medellin Cartel, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/a-side-effect-of-peace-in-colombia-a-cocaine-boom-in-the-us/2017/05/07/6fb5d468-294a-11e7-9081-f5405f56d3e4_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>.
The amount of cocaine being grown in Colombia is so high that &#8220;unpicked coca leaves are rotting in the fields,&#8221; the report said.
“We’ve never seen anything like it before,” said Luis Carlos Villegas, Colombia’s defense minister.
The drug cartels build submarines and semi-submersible craft largely in the mangrove swamps in Colombia. It can cost $1-2 million to build the vessel, which is then often used only once by the crew to transport hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cocaine to a destination. Once the drugs are offloaded from the vessel it is usually discarded by the crew.

Cocaine Sub

Two Massive Drug Submarines Recovered On Opposite Ends Of The World

Cocaine

Crime

Spain

A South American nation revealed late on Saturday that it detected a possible Chinese spy balloon operating in its airspace last week.
The Colombian Air Force <a href="https://www.fac.mil.co/es/comunicados/comunicado-0032023">said</a> in a statement that on Friday morning, &#8220;the National Air Defense System detected an object above 55,000 feet, which entered Colombian airspace in the northern sector of the country, moving at an average speed of 25 knots, identifying in it, characteristics similar to those of a balloon.&#8221;
&#8220;Through the Defense Systems, the Colombian Air Force followed the object until it left the airspace,&#8221; the statement continued.
The Colombians said that they were launching an investigation to determine the origin of the object, although they did not believe that it presented a risk to their security.
The news out of Colombia comes after the Pentagon said Friday that it had assessed the balloon was a Chinese spy balloon.
https://twitter.com/alvarelm/status/1621501802658111490
“We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America,” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said. “We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon.”
A balloon, potentially the same one discovered over the skies of Colombia, was filmed floating over Costa Rica.
Esteban Carranza, a lawyer from Costa Rica, posted a video of the balloon, writing, &#8220;the same type of balloon spotted in the US was visible all day in the Costa Rican sky.&#8221;
&#8220;I have to say, I was pretty excited as I initially thought I was seeing a UFO because the object was big, bright and absolutely still,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/suspected-chinese-balloon-over-us-02-04-23/h_043789c943b3f4b3dae70b2c0736e6f3">told</a> CNN. &#8220;I looked at the object for around 45 minutes from different locations, completely still, and a few hours later went back out again and it was still there, in the exact same place. Lots of people were looking at it from different parts of the city. Even though not a UFO, it was still very unusual and therefore an exciting experience.&#8221;
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Here is a video I took from the street. <a href="https://twitter.com/SilvaRecord?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SilvaRecord</a> I initially did not think it was a balloon since the wind was around 45 knots and the object remained still for a long time. But yes, it was confirmed a balloon. <a href="https://t.co/I60KGTkWjC">pic.twitter.com/I60KGTkWjC</a>
&mdash; UAP Costa Rica (@UAP_CR) <a href="https://twitter.com/UAP_CR/status/1621341535898931200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The news comes after the U.S. military used an F-22 Raptor to take out a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina using a single air-to-air A9X sidewinder missile that was fired at an altitude of approximately 58,000 feet. The decision to shoot down the spy balloon came after President Joe Biden allowed it to fly thousands of miles over the continental U.S. during the last several days.

CHINA-BEIJING-CPC CENTENARY-GRAND GATHERING-XI JINPING (CN)

South American Nation Detects Another Possible Chinese Spy Balloon

Balloon

China

Communist China

Global Politics

Spying

Leftist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colombia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colombian</a> Vice President Francia Márquez Mina demanded reparations from the United States over climate change, even as the U.S. sends hundreds of millions of dollars every year to the nation in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/foreign-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic and humanitarian aid</a>. 
In an <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/the-recast/2023/01/20/colombia-vice-president-francia-marquez-00078746" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> this week with POLITICO, Márquez said that the U.S. and other Western countries should pursue reparations in the form of debt forgiveness to Colombia over the issues of climate change and colonialism. 
“There’s no doubt that the United States has a role to play. The United States should be the first country to acknowledge that its global politics have helped keep black people around the world and in Africa in a state of subjugation,” Márquez said when asked if the U.S. should be involved in “global and climate reparations.”
“Countries that have participated in slavery and colonialism are the ones that have their black population living without the barest of necessities, in a state of precarity. Those countries most responsible for colonialism and slavery are today’s developed countries, the world superpowers, which paradoxically also emit the most greenhouse gases,” she added. 
Márquez then claimed that black people, Indigenous people, and women were most impacted by climate change. She said that the U.S. and other countries should institute a debt forgiveness program to free up resources for “marginalized and oppressed communities.”
“The United States should be at the forefront of that policy. I know there’s been some reckoning, some conversations about acknowledging that this country is responsible for slavery and racism and now also climate change. But now it’s necessary to translate that reckoning into concrete action,” said Márquez, who is a member of the leftist Soy Porque Somos party. 
According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. has routinely given <a href="https://www.foreignassistance.gov/cd/colombia/2022/disbursements/0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hundreds of millions of dollars</a> to Colombia in aid. Since 2001, the U.S. has given Colombia over $11 billion in humanitarian, economic, and military aid. 
In fiscal year 2022, the U.S. gave $479,676,863 to Colombia, with most of that money coming from USAID, but also a large chunk from the State Department. Included in this U.S. taxpayer funding was $198 million for emergency responses, $35 million for general environmental protection, and $23 million for disaster prevention and preparation. 
Márquez, who ran for office alongside current Colombian President and <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/01/20/colombia-vp-marquez-00078617" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ex-guerrilla</a> rebel Gustavo Petro, has previously <a href="https://www.wola.org/analysis/colombia-peace-agreement-conclusions-of-the-first-session-of-the-permanent-forum-of-afro-descendants-at-the-un/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanded</a> reparations from Western countries at a forum in Geneva, Switzerland.

COLOMBIA-US-DIPLOMACY-BLINKEN-PETRO

Leftist Colombian VP Wants ‘Climate’ Reparations From U.S. — America Already Gives Colombia Hundreds Of Millions Every Year.

Colombian VP Wants Reparations From U.S., Other Western Countries

Foreign Policy

Reparations

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