Arizona GOP congressman says to expect more immigration/trade standoffs under Trump

PHOENIX – An Arizona Republican congressman said Monday that immigration/trade standoffs like the one that transpired between the U.S. and Colombia over the weekend will be common under President Donald Trump.

“Be prepared. We’re going to see lots of this coming, this type of theater,” Rep. David Schweikert told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News. “It’s a combination of when you’re actually trying to deal with what happened over the last four years on our border, and even down to some of the trade relations,” he said.

What happened between U.S. and Colombia over weekend?

On Sunday, the White House claimed victory in a showdown with Colombia over U.S. flights of deported migrants.

After Colombian President Gustavo Petro rejected two U.S. military aircraft carrying migrants, Trump threatened steep tariffs on imports and other sanctions.

Petro rejected the flights after accusing Trump of not treating deportees with dignity.

Trump said the tariff threats were necessary because Petro’s decision jeopardized U.S. security efforts.

The standoff apparently was settled by Sunday night.

“Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay,” Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, said in a statement.

While this episode with Colombia was settled quickly, Schweikert said more trade standoffs will follow.

“So just expect every few days, there’s going to be an incident like this,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related

Rep. Adelita Grijalva responds to ICE detaining Tucson woman outside county courthouseYassamin Ansari calls for closure of Texas ICE detention center after oversight visitFBI investigating shooting at ICE field office in PhoenixUS Marshals rescue missing Arizona girl; 2 suspects taken into ICE custodyRep. Greg Stanton calls DHS warehouse purchases ‘a joke’ amid Surprise ICE facility pauseHuman smuggler who beat, abandoned 2 brothers in Arizona desert gets 6 years