The United States revoked Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa after he urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders during a pro-Palestinian rally in New York.
The U.S. State Department announced Friday that it had revoked Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa, citing his “reckless and incendiary actions” during a pro-Palestinian protest in New York.
According to U.S. officials, Petro encouraged American soldiers to disobey orders and accused former president Donald Trump of inciting violence.
Speaking outside the UN headquarters in Manhattan, the Colombian leader called for the creation of a “global armed force” greater than that of the United States, with the mission of freeing Palestine.
“Disobey Trump’s orders! Obey humanity’s orders!” Petro declared, standing alongside British musician Roger Waters. He also announced that Colombian consulates and embassies around the world had instructions to campaign for Palestine’s liberation and promised to open registrations for military-trained volunteers in Colombia.
After learning of the visa revocation, Petro responded on X: “I arrived in Bogotá and learned I no longer have a visa. To travel to Ibagué I don’t need one.” He argued that Washington was violating UN immunity norms and accused “mafias” of trying to drive a wedge between the two countries.
Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti countered that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visa should have been revoked instead, accusing the “empire” of punishing Petro for speaking truth to power.
Relations between the United States and Colombia have soured since Trump returned to the White House in January.
The two governments have clashed over deportations, counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean, and the U.S. decision to remove Colombia from its list of countries fighting drug trafficking. While Washington issued a waiver to keep aid flowing, analysts warn the partnership is at its lowest point in decades.
For Petro, confrontation with Trump fits his broader narrative of defiance against U.S. power. For Washington, his remarks crossed a red line by openly encouraging military disobedience.
The incident highlights the rapid unraveling of a strategic relationship that has been central to Latin American security, trade, and counternarcotics cooperation for more than thirty years.
