Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. has ramped up its deportation efforts, targeting thousands of undocumented immigrants, including a significant number of Colombians, who under Trump’s plan, are all being flown back to Colombia.

Many are outraged by the way the deportees are being treated on the planes, claiming that criminals aren’t the only people being targeted. Edgar Da Silva Moura, a 31-year-old computer technician who was deported after seven months in detention, described details from his flight, highlighting the fact they were given no water and that all passenger’s hands and feet were tied, not even allowing them to use the restroom. The planes were reportedly so hot that some passengers even fainted.

“The U.S. cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals,” Columbian President Gustavo Petro wrote in a post on X. These deportations have sparked outrage not only in the U.S. but also in Colombia, where Petro’s administration has been forced to address the fallout, even pushing back against the strain this policy has placed on their resources.

Colombian officials have strongly criticized the treatment of deportees under the Trump administration’s policies, stressing that migrants are not criminals. Colombia’s foreign minister, Luis Gilberto Murillo, emphasized that migration itself is not a crime and that deportations should be handled in accordance with international human rights standards. He pointed out that one deportation flight from San Diego carried 62 men, 16 children, and 32 women, including two pregnant women. Despite the U.S. government’s insistence that these deportations follow legal protocols, Colombian authorities continued to advocate for the humane treatment of all migrants.