Colombians consulted by VOA confess to having lived moments of concern and anxiety, while businessmen and experts consider that Sunday's diplomatic crisis can generate negative effects for the South American country.
Lina Rodríguez traveled a little more than 500 kilometers, from the municipality of Santander de Quilichao to Bogotá, to meet a visa application appointment at the United States Embassy in Colombia. Since 2021, he was waiting for this moment that on Monday he “went to the trash”, due to the cancellation of an interview of which he is not right yet.
“It is very sad … and it is no longer known until they give them to all those who are waiting,” the Colombian told the Voice of America.
Like her, hundreds of Colombians stayed outside the Embassy Monday, after the diplomatic tension lived on Sunday between Colombia and the United States, and which precisely resulted in the suspension of visa procedures for citizens at the Bogotá embassy.
The measure was generated after the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, did not allow the landing of military flights from the United States with deported migrants until the Donald Trump government created a protocol that treats migrants with “dignity.”
Although the Colombian government said Sunday have “overcome” the impasse And the White House published the conditions of the agreement, the Colombians consulted by the Voa They confess to having lived moments of concern, while experts consider that the day can leave negative effects.
For the Colombian Mónica Núñez, in some way, most of her compatriots felt worried about the situation, because, “in many ways” citizens have “connections with the other country and commercial agreements.” However, he confessed to feel calm because he knew “that he was going to resolve” because he believes that “migratory policies are typical of each country.”
“In these years Colombians have been deported and because now, at this time, following the new presidency, some Colombians are deported, then it was about generating a conflict; There it seems to me that it did not give rise to it, ”the Colombian added to the Voa.
For the young Martín Betancourt it was a “quite strong” situation, because “the tension” was felt and, although he does not agree with “the treatment” of migrants by the Trump administration, nor shares “Pride” of Petro .
However, he said he travels recurrently to the US and needed to renew the visa. Therefore, it feels “quite worried because some aspects were released yesterday, but everything was not released … follow the issue of the complicated embassy,” he told the Voa.
Entrepreneurs: “The anguish was very big”
In response to the refusal of deportations of President Petro, his American counterpart ordered a 25 % increase in Colombian tariffs which would then be increased to 50 % in a week, as well as visa revocations to officials, among other measures. Bogotá, meanwhile, threatened 25%tariffs. Orders that, according to the Banca house, will be “kept in reserve and will not be signed” until the first deported to the country enter.
However, the concern in the business sector is still latent, as the US is the main commercial partner of Colombia. Official figures indicate that 29 % of exports of the South American country are directed to that country. According to the National Statistics Department, they added $ 13,106 million between January and December last year.
Jaime Alberto Cabal, President of the National Federation of Fenalco merchants, he told the Voa that on Sunday there were “a few hours of great concern”, because it “put thousands of Colombians who not only work the issue of exporting companies, but all the employment of the country around which it can occur”, in addition, in addition, of citizens who, in some way or another are related to the US.
For the spokesperson of the businessmen, the tariffs that the White House had imposed “would take competitiveness and competitiveness to thousands of Colombian companies that export” to the US, also generating “an unemployment crisis without a history” in the country and, affecting, in special to the best selling products such as oil, flowers, coffee, aluminum, fruits and more.
A great example of this is the flower sector, since almost 80 % of the flowers that occur in Colombia are exported to the US, especially on the eve of the Valentine's celebration.
Augusto Solano Mejía, president of Assocolflores, said that the day was lived with “great anguish”, because the floricultores “have been working since last year, investing, paying payrolls, suppliers, coordinating flights” for the season that means “the 18 % on average sales of the year ”.
“The anguish was very big because the offices had already started slowly since January 16 and this week there can be days of 40 daily flights,” he said. A 25 % tariff “would have had catastrophic consequences,” he said after highlighting that some buyers had refused to buy the flower or would not receive it while being at the destination, leaving great losses.
And future relationships?
For Cabal, President Petro “caused an unnecessary diplomatic crisis for Colombia”, since “it is not handling international relations, according to the conveniences of Colombians, but of their ideological bias” that, in addition, “leaves very badly stopped” To the country before the world.
Position shared by the citizen Jairo Caballero, who considered that Petro acted from “absolute ignorance” and although he confesses that he does not work in a commercial sector that is directly affected, he said that the measures had beaten the economy of their country, leaving negative consequences for all.
Enrique Prieto Ríos, Professor of International Law at the University of Rosario, said that the Colombian government could have followed a more diplomatic line, because having “a geogopolypic position as weak as the Colombian, it is important to have a strategy”.
Likewise, he explained to the Voa That, from now on, there will be “a very cold relationship between the White House and the Palacio de Nariño” and the effects can range from the most difficult procedures for the acquisition of US visas, affecting the tourist, labor and student purposes of some of some Colombians, until the reduction of all US economic supports to Colombia, “which clearly puts, both military support and all human rights support and human rights.”