The United States has announced the revocation of Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa, citing his “reckless and incendiary” comments made during a pro-Palestinian protest in New York. President Petro had urged US soldiers to disobey orders and called for them to turn their rifles against “tyrants” and “fascists”, drawing a strong rebuke from the State Department.
The decision came as Petro was returning to Colombia after attending the UN General Assembly. During his visit, he had also called for a criminal inquiry into the Trump administration’s actions, specifically airstrikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean. Petro argued that these actions were not about controlling the drug trade but were a means of asserting dominance over Colombia and Latin America.
Relations between Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president, and the Trump administration have been increasingly strained. He has also accused US officials of being allied with drug gangs, even as his government works to persuade farmers to stop growing coca, the raw material for cocaine. Petro’s criticism of US foreign policy, particularly the airstrikes, was stark, likening them to an “act of tyranny” in a recent interview.
The US, meanwhile, maintains that its operations are part of an anti-drug campaign targeting Venezuela, which it accuses of running a cartel. This visa revocation follows a pattern of restricted access for some foreign officials to the UN headquarters, as seen with the denial of visas for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials.