Visa appointments at the US Embassy in Colombia were cancelled on Monday after a disagreement over deportation flights from the US. This dispute nearly escalated into an expensive trade conflict between the two nations.

Many Colombians gathered outside the US Embassy in Bogota, where they were given letters by local staff informing them that their appointments had been cancelled. The cancellations were due to the Colombian government's refusal to accept repatriation flights for Colombian nationals. Those who had visa appointments for Monday also received similar notifications by email. It may take up to two years to get an appointment. President Gustavo Petro said in an early-morning message on X that he would not permit two US Air Force planes carrying Colombian deportees to land in Colombia, which heightened tensions between the United States and Colombia on Sunday. Although he initially authorised the flights.

Petro also shared a video showing another group of deported people reportedly arriving in Brazil with shackles on their legs. He mentioned that Colombia would only allow deportation flights once the United States put in place protocols to ensure that expelled migrants are treated with dignity. President Donald Trump responded on Truth Social, proposing a 25% emergency tariff on Colombian exports to the United States. He also suggested that US visas for Colombian government officials be revoked and that goods from Colombia should face stricter customs checks. At the same time, the State Department announced on Sunday that it would stop issuing visas to Colombian citizens until deportation flights are resumed.

Tensions eased on Sunday night after talks between the countries, with the White House announcing that Colombia had agreed to resume deportation flights and accepted all of President Trump's conditions, including sending deportees on military flights. Previously, most Colombians deported from the United States had been sent back on charter flights arranged by U.S. government contractors. 

The White House mentioned that tariffs on Colombian exports would be paused, but visa restrictions on Colombian officials and stricter customs checks would stay in place until the first deportation flight from Colombia successfully takes place. Requests for comment on the resumed visa appointments have not received a response from the State Department.

According to a Ministry of Commerce report, almost 1.6 million Colombians entered the United States lawfully last year. According to the survey, Colombians' most popular foreign destination was the United States.