Colombia must focus its efforts on meeting the conditions that the United States set for it to be recertified in the fight against drugs, after the country was decertified by the Donald Trump administration this Monday, September 15, 2025.
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In this sense, different US representatives and authorities have agreed that
the primary thing will be to see the results soon.

The arguments of the United States to decertify Colombia

In the memorandum that President Donald Trump signed to make the decertification official, it is explained that"in Colombia, coca cultivation and cocaine production have reached historic highs under the presidency of Gustavo Petro" and that "his failed attempts to reach agreements with narcoterrorist groups have only exacerbated the crisis."

The North American country insisted on pointing to the Petro administration, saying that it has not met even its own coca eradication goals,"which were considerably reduced, which has undermined years of mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries against narcoterrorism. Colombia has manifestly failed to comply with its drug control obligations."

(See: Unions in the country ask for restraint and verifiable actions after decertification).

It was also stated that"the country's security institutions and municipal authorities have demonstrated skill and courage in confronting terrorist and criminal groups, and the United States values the service and sacrifice of its dedicated public servants at all levels of government." And it was emphasized that the decertification and the failure to comply with drug control obligations during the last year"is due exclusively to the political leadership."

AFP

The U.S. State Department, for its part, clarified that despite the decertification, an exemption had been issued so that"crucial U.S. cooperation, including counternarcotics cooperation, could continue" with Colombia. However, to achieve this, it called for results:"We must see progress, and it must happen soon!"

— Department of State (@StateDept) September 16, 2025

What Colombia must do to recertify

President Trump himself clarified in the memorandum he signed that he would recertify Colombia in the fight against drugs if more aggressive measures are adopted to eradicate coca and reduce cocaine production and trafficking,  "as well as to hold those who produce, traffic, and profit from cocaine production accountable, including through better cooperation with the United States to bring the leaders of Colombian criminal organizations to justice".

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Along these lines, the United States chargé d'affaires in Colombia, John McNamara, added that this must be added to greater drug seizures andeliminating the suspension of extradition of narcoterrorists:"This is a job together".

The United States' decision regarding Colombia was to designate it as a 'demonstrably failed' country, which means that it has 'demonstrably failed' under the Foreign Assistance Act.

The exemption that was issued is a determination of national interest ('waiver') that avoids the immediate application of assistance restrictions and opens a conditional waiting period of up to 12 months to show verifiable results, explained the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Colombia).

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The country's trade unions have called on the National Government to remain calm, maintain a cool head, and put national interests first. However, President Petro has been critical and even asserted that he will not give in to the pressure that decertification would generate in the country and its potential effects, especially in rural areas, where the illicit drug trade has grown stronger in recent years, breaking records for illicit coca cultivation for its subsequent processing into cocaine.