The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has compared the deportation of migrants from the United States to the mass sending of people to concentration camps during World War II by Nazi Germany. Petro made this comparison during the swearing-in ceremony of Laura Sarabia as the new chancellor this Wednesday, amid the diplomatic crisis triggered by his decision to cancel the entry to the country of two planes with deported migrants, which led to a strong response from Donald Trump.
In a social media message, Petro expressed his discontent over the fact that the migrants were handcuffed during their transfer, considering that they were not being treated with dignity. As a result, Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on Colombian products and other sanctions, to which Colombia responded with similar measures. Tensions escalated even further when Petro mentioned that three flights with 306 deported Colombians, including 42 minors, had already arrived in Bogotá.
The Colombian president harshly criticized Trump's actions, questioning how minors can be treated as criminals and comparing the situation to Nazi Germany. Petro emphasized the importance of not criminalizing entire groups of people but judging each individual by their actions.
In this context, Trump commented on the conflict, acknowledging the criticism for transporting migrants handcuffed on deportation flights. The U.S. president justified these measures by arguing that undocumented migrants are dangerous criminals, although his assertions were refuted by Petro. Furthermore, Trump mentioned a supposed discussion about similarities with the transportation methods used by the Nazis in 1943.
These statements from Petro emerged shortly after a controversial comment from Elon Musk, owner of a social media platform, which sparked debate in various sectors. Amid this situation, tensions between Colombia and the United States continue to affect the relations between both countries.
