Colombia has denied entry to two U.S. military deportation flights, according to Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense officials.
The flights, carried out on US C-17 military aircraft, carried about 80 Colombian migrants each and had departed from California, the defense official told NBC News.
Initially cleared for landing, the flights were based on Colombian President Gustavo Petro suddenly revoking all diplomatic clearances for U.S. military and immigration and customs enforcement planes, the official said.
In a statement shared on X, Petro criticized the treatment of deported immigrants.
“A migrant is not a criminal and must be treated with the dignity that a human being deserves,” he wrote. “We will receive our nationals on civil planes, without treating them like criminals. Colombia must be respected.”
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