The U.S. State Department announced on Friday, September 26, 2025, that it will revoke the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, citing his “incendiary actions” during a pro-Palestinian protest in New York.
According to officials, Petro used a street demonstration to urge U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and called for the creation of an international army “larger than that of the United States.” In a widely circulated video, Petro is seen addressing the crowd in Spanish through a megaphone, with a translator relaying his appeal: “Disobey Trump’s order! Obey the order of humanity!”
Petro had been in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where earlier in the week he sharply criticized the Trump administration’s Caribbean military operations. He alleged that recent U.S. strikes on small boats near Venezuela killed more than a dozen unarmed young people, some of them Colombian. Washington insists the actions were part of an anti-drug mission against traffickers tied to the Venezuelan government.
The Trump administration has recently escalated pressure on both Venezuela and Colombia, dispatching warships to the region and decertifying Colombia as a partner in counternarcotics efforts—though it stopped short of sanctions. Relations between Washington and Bogotá, historically close allies, have deteriorated under Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president.
Colombian media reported that Petro left New York for Bogotá on Friday night following the visa decision. His interior minister, Armando Benedetti, criticized the move on social media, suggesting that U.S. policy shields allies like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while targeting Petro for his outspoken criticism.
The visa revocation marks a dramatic escalation in tensions, underscoring the fragile state of U.S.-Colombia relations at a time of heightened geopolitical strain in the Americas.
