The U.S. State Department announced Friday it will revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s U.S. visa, citing what officials described as “reckless and incendiary actions” during a protest in New York. The move escalates a diplomatic rupture between Washington and Bogotá, once seen as close partners on issues like drug trafficking and regional security.
The decision followed video footage and social media coverage of Petro addressing a pro-Palestinian rally outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, during which he urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders by President Donald Trump and appealed to “the order of humanity.” “Earlier today, Colombian President @petrogustavo stood on a NYC street and urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence,” a post from the State Department declared on the social media platform X. “We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions.”
Petro’s speech also included calls for a global “army for the salvation of the world,” whose first task, he said, would be the liberation of Palestine. He challenged the U.S. military: “From New York, I ask all the soldiers of the U.S. Army … Disobey Trump’s order. Obey the order of humanity.” Colombian authorities have not yet publicly confirmed whether Petro remained in New York at the time of the announcement.
Analysts view the visa revocation as a stark response to a sitting head of state conduct deemed intolerable on U.S. soil. The move not only cuts into Petro’s ability to participate in dialogues in Washington but is also symbolic of growing tensions under the Trump administration’s foreign policy posture.
