Visa appointments at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia were canceled on Monday following a dispute over deportation flights from the U.S. that nearly escalated into a costly trade war between the two nations. Dozens of Colombians arrived at the embassy in Bogotá, only to be handed letters from local staff informing them that their appointments had been canceled “due to the Colombian government’s refusal to accept repatriation flights of Colombian nationals” over the weekend.
Later on Monday, Colombia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that the government was sending a Colombian Air Force plane to San Diego to pick up a group of Colombians who had been on a deportation flight that was denied landing on Sunday morning.
In Colombia, as with most non-U.S. citizens, a visa is required to visit the United States for tourism, business, or other purposes. However, it can take up to two years to secure a visa appointment at the U.S. embassy in Bogotá, which has also been handling visa applications from neighboring Venezuela for several years. Those whose appointments were canceled on Monday will likely face several months of delay before rescheduling, causing frustration among many. “President Petro did not represent our interests,” said Elio Camelo, a U.S. visa applicant from the city of Cali who had traveled to Bogotá for his appointment.
“There is a lot of uncertainty now over what will happen next,” said Mauricio Manrique, who had his Monday morning appointment canceled. He had traveled from Popayán, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Bogotá, for his appointment.
Tensions between Colombia and the United States escalated on Sunday after President Gustavo Petro posted an early morning message on X, announcing that he would not allow two U.S. Air Force planes carrying Colombian deportees to land in the country. Petro also shared a video showing another group of deportees allegedly arriving in Brazil with shackles on their legs. He stated that Colombia would only accept deportation flights once the U.S. established protocols to ensure the “dignified treatment” of expelled migrants.
In response, U.S. President Donald Trump took to Truth Social, calling for 25% emergency tariffs on Colombian exports to the United States. He also threatened to revoke U.S. visas for Colombian government officials and implement enhanced customs inspections on goods coming from the South American nation.
Meanwhile, the State Department announced on Sunday that it would stop issuing visas to Colombian nationals until deportation flights resumed.
The situation de-escalated on Sunday night following negotiations between the two countries, with the White House stating that Colombia had agreed to resume deportation flights and “agreed to all of President Trump’s terms,” including the arrival of deportees on military flights. Last year, Colombia accepted 124 deportation flights, all chartered by U.S. government contractors.
The White House confirmed that the proposed tariffs on Colombian exports would be put on hold, but added that visa restrictions on Colombian officials and enhanced customs inspections would remain “until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned.”
The State Department has yet to respond to requests for comment on the resumption of visa appointments.
According to a report by Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce, more than 1.6 million Colombians traveled to the U.S. legally last year, making the United States the top destination for Colombians traveling abroad.
