U.S. to Revoke Colombian President’s Visa Over Pro-Palestinian Rally Remarks

The United States announced it will revoke the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro after he joined a pro-Palestinian rally on the streets of New York on Friday and urged American soldiers to defy orders from President Donald Trump.

“The United States will revoke President Petro’s visa due to his reckless and inflammatory actions,” the State Department posted on X.

Addressing pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, Petro called for the creation of a global armed force dedicated to the liberation of Palestine, saying it “should be larger than the United States military.”

Speaking in Spanish, he added: “From here in New York, I call on all U.S. soldiers—do not point your guns at the people. Defy Trump’s orders. Obey the orders of humanity.”

Reuters could not immediately confirm whether Petro remained in New York. His office and Colombia’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Clash at the United Nations Over Gaza War
The move comes as the Trump administration cracks down on pro-Palestinian voices, even as countries including France, Britain, Australia, and Canada have formally recognized a Palestinian state—a step that has angered Israel and its chief ally, the United States.

Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president and an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, used his UN General Assembly speech on Tuesday to accuse Trump of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza. He also demanded criminal proceedings over U.S. missile strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in Caribbean waters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the assembly on Friday, condemned Western recognition of a Palestinian state, accusing those governments of sending the message that “killing Jews pays.”

Israel launched its Gaza offensive following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages. Since then, Gaza health officials say more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed and the territory’s entire population displaced.

Many human rights experts have described Israel’s actions as genocidal—an allegation Israel strongly rejects, insisting the war is an act of self-defense.

On Thursday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN by video after the Trump administration denied him a visa to travel to New York. His office argued the restriction violated the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement, which obliges the U.S. to grant foreign diplomats access to the UN. Washington, however, maintains that visas can be refused on security, extremism, or foreign policy grounds.

Tensions in U.S.-Colombia Relations Under Trump
The visa dispute underscores worsening ties between Washington and Bogotá under Trump’s renewed presidency. The U.S. is Colombia’s main trading partner and its largest ally in the fight against drug trafficking, but relations soured soon after Trump returned to office in January.

Petro initially refused to accept deportation flights carrying Colombians expelled under Trump’s immigration crackdown, accusing the U.S. of treating his citizens “like criminals.” Facing retaliatory threats of tariffs and the suspension of U.S. visa appointments for Colombians, Petro quickly reversed course and agreed to accept the flights.

Earlier this month, Trump placed Colombia on a list of countries Washington says have failed to meet their anti-narcotics commitments, blaming the nation’s political leadership.

Petro, elected in 2022 on promises to negotiate peace with armed groups, has since shifted course—pledging sweeping social and military interventions to reassert state control over coca-producing regions. The strategy has delivered limited results so far.