Trump admin revokes Colombian president's visa over alleged reckless and incendiary actions
Move comes amid UN General Assembly events in New York as Petro's stance draws renewed attention
Late Friday, the Trump administration revoked Colombian President Gustavo Petro's U.S. visa, citing his alleged reckless and incendiary actions in New York City. A post on the U.S. State Department's X account attributed Petro with standing on a New York street and urging U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence, according to officials familiar with the matter.
The visa action comes as Petro attends the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week. Video clips circulated online showing Petro addressing a crowd at a demonstration that opposed Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in New York to address the General Assembly.
Petro, a former Marxist guerrilla who became Colombia's first leftist president, has had a rocky relationship with Trump since taking office. In January, Trump threatened to impose 50% tariffs on all imports from Colombia if the country did not accept military planes carrying deported Colombians as part of U.S. deportation efforts. Petro threatened retaliatory tariffs but later relented and allowed the flights.
Petro has publicly criticized U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean that the White House said were carrying drugs. He called the strikes an act of tyranny and argued that the passengers were not drug traffickers but poor migrants who had little choice.
Petro's relationship with Trump has been strained since his inauguration. In April, Petro said the Trump administration had revoked his travel visa to the United States, saying he could not attend meetings with international organizations in Washington. He also referenced past jokes about Donald Duck when describing the situation.
Officials in Washington and Bogotá did not immediately comment beyond the notice from the State Department.
The visa revocation underscores a rare diplomatic escalation in U.S.-Colombia relations as both nations navigate migration, security, and regional policy in a tense geopolitical environment.
