This story was updated at 9 a.m. on Jan. 27.
A trade war between the U.S. and Colombia which looked set to raise prices for Valentine's Day roses, fruits and nuts appears to have been averted.
President Donald Trump announced Sunday his administration would impose tariffs, among other measures, as retaliation when Colombia refused to allow U.S. military planes carrying deported migrants to land.
"These measures are just the beginning," said Trump in a statement Sunday afternoon. "We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!"
Colombian President Gustavo Petro immediately responded to Trump's 25% tariffs on imports from the South American nation with a 25% tax on U.S. imports into Colombia. Both countries threatened to hike tariffs up to 50%.
South Florida would bear the brunt of the economic fallout of a potential trade war.
READ MORE: Miami drug lord is deported to Colombia, walks free after 20 years in U.S. prisons
But by late Sunday evening, President Petro had relented and agreed to allow U.S. military planes to fly deportees into the country.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the “Government of 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.”
Leavitt said the tariff orders will be “held in reserve, and not signed." But Leavitt said Trump would maintain visa restrictions on Colombian officials and enhanced customs inspections of goods from the country, “until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned.”
The Colombian government late Sunday said it considered as “overcome” the episode with the Trump administration. “We will continue to receive Colombians who return as deportees, guaranteeing them decent conditions as citizens subject to rights," said Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo.
Colombia is the 10th largest trading partner with the U.S. by weight. It is the largest country of origin for imports at Miami International Airport thanks to the import of flowers grown in Colombia soil and blossoming here.
Flowers by the ton are arriving each day at MIA as Valentine’s Day approaches. More than 48,000 tons of flowers will pass through the airport’s cargo and customs area in the month before the holiday.
Seventy percent of that comes from Colombia, according to airport data shared with WLRN. About $2 billion worth of flowers are imported 1,500 miles from Colombia to the U.S. each year. Over 85% of those first land at MIA before being distributed throughout the country.
Fresh flowers into MIA
• 1,550 tons a day
• 70% from Colombia(in month before Valentine's Day)
Colombia and the U.S. have had a free trade agreement since 2012, which eliminated tariffs on most Colombian exports. Fresh cut flowers were among the first products to benefit from the trade agreement thanks to a plane that took off from Colombia before the agreement took effect and landed at MIA after it began. Roses from other countries, primarily Ecuador, are taxed 6.8%.
A veteran of the international trade industry in South Florida told WLRN punitive tariffs such as Trump announced would not be covered by the trade deal.
It’s not all roses that are imported from Colombia through South Florida, though. Bananas, plantains and citrus fruits are among the top Colombian imports that come through Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. Building materials like aluminum and tiles also account for some of the top product categories sent from Colombia to South Florida ports.
Together, South Florida ports represent 27% of the total trading value with Colombia, according to data from USTradeNumbers.com. Nationwide, America’s trade with Colombia is almost balanced, with the U.S. having a small trade surplus. Imports totalled $1.5 billion in November while exports were $1.7 billion.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
