On Jan. 26, the socialist president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, sent two U.S. military planes back to their bases, refusing to let them land in his country. They were carrying Colombian nationals, all of whom had been in our country illegally and had been convicted of other crimes. They were being flown back to their homes because we do not want them in the U.S.
Petro refused to take them, citing spurious concern for the criminals’ dignity. “We will not accept a single deportee from the United States on military planes,” Petro said in a statement. “We reject the militarization of migration policy, which is contrary to human rights and international law. Colombia will not be complicit in such actions.” It was ironic and not a little grating to hear this deprecation of the military from a man who was himself a member of an armed guerrilla movement, or terrorist,…
