200 deported Colombians included pregnant women and children — but no criminals

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “I understand the military has some procedures, but there were children, families.” open image in gallery Deportation flights from the United States to Colombia included more than 200 people, including pregnant women and children. Colombia had initially refused to accept the military planes, with President Gustavo Petro arguing that his country wanted to secure the arrival of immigrants in “dignified conditions” using civilian aircraft. He added that a travel ban and visa revocations will be imposed on Colombian government officials, as well as “all allies and supporters.” Trump also said that “visa sanctions” would be levied against “all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government.” The president also promised that there would be “Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds.” The White House later said Colombia agreed the “unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay.” open image in gallery Trump nearly ignited a trade war after Colombia initially refused to accept deportation flights on military aircraft, with officials in the country urging the U.S. president to use civilian aircraft After taking office, Trump pledged to remove violent criminals from the country, and swiftly deployed the full force of the federal government to assist in his anti-immigration agenda, with the Department of Homeland Security reorganizing its focus on immigration enforcement. But the administration confirmed Tuesday that it was treating all immigrants in the U.S. without legal permission as “criminals.” In her first White House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt falsely labeled the thousands of people arrested for allegedly living in the country illegally as “criminals,” despite the offense being a civil one.