U.S. Revokes Colombian President Petro’s Visa Over Pro-Palestinian Protest/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ morning Edition/ The U.S. announced it will revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa after he urged American soldiers to disobey President Trump during a pro-Palestinian rally in New York. Petro also called for a global armed force to “liberate Palestinians.” The move deepens strained relations between Washington and Bogotá.
Petro Visa Revocation Quick Looks
- U.S. State Department to revoke Petro’s visa for “reckless” remarks
- At NY pro-Palestinian rally, Petro urged U.S. soldiers to disobey Trump
- Called for a global armed force to liberate Palestinians
- Previously accused Trump of “complicity in genocide” in Gaza at UN
- Petro criticized U.S. missile strikes on drug-smuggling boats in Caribbean
- Israel’s Netanyahu denounced Western recognition of Palestinian statehood
- Over 65,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since 2023 war began
- Relations with U.S. already strained over deportations, drug policy
- Trump recently listed Colombia as failing in anti-narcotics cooperation
- Petro’s presidency marked by clashes with Washington on multiple fronts
Deep Look: U.S. Moves to Revoke Petro’s Visa After New York Rally Speech
WASHINGTON — September 27, 2025
Relations between the United States and Colombia took a sharp turn Friday as the U.S. State Department announced it would revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa. The decision followed Petro’s fiery remarks at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York, where he urged American soldiers to defy President Donald Trump’s orders and called for the creation of a global armed force to “liberate Palestinians.”
“We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions,” the State Department said in a post on X.
Petro’s Rally Remarks
Speaking in Spanish outside the United Nations headquarters, Petro addressed a crowd of demonstrators during the 80th U.N. General Assembly:
“That’s why from here, from New York, I ask all the soldiers of the army of the United States not to point their guns at people. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity.”
Petro’s call — unprecedented for a head of state in direct appeal to U.S. soldiers — came alongside his demand for a global armed coalition stronger than the United States to prioritize the Palestinian cause.
Neither Petro’s office nor Colombia’s foreign ministry immediately responded to requests for comment. It was unclear whether the Colombian leader was still in New York when the U.S. announcement was made.
UN Tensions Over Gaza
Petro’s remarks capped a week of intense debate at the U.N. General Assembly over the ongoing war in Gaza. On Tuesday, Petro accused the U.S. president of being “complicit in genocide” and called for criminal proceedings over U.S. missile strikes against suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean.
By contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted countries recognizing Palestinian statehood, including France, Britain, Australia, and Canada, warning such moves sent the message that “murdering Jews pays off.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was barred from entering the U.S. after Washington denied him a visa, forcing him to address the Assembly by video. His office argued the denial violated the 1947 U.N. Headquarters Agreement, though U.S. officials maintain exceptions are allowed for security and foreign policy concerns.
Gaza War Context
The Gaza conflict began after Hamas-led militants launched an attack on Israel in October 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with a large-scale assault on Gaza, which has since killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. The entire enclave has been displaced, prompting international rights experts to accuse Israel of genocide — an allegation Israel denies, framing the war as self-defense.
A Rocky Relationship with Trump
The visa revocation further complicates what was already a fragile U.S.-Colombia relationship. Tensions emerged early in Trump’s second term, when Petro initially refused to accept deportation flights carrying Colombian migrants under Trump’s expanded immigration crackdown. Though Petro reversed course under trade and visa pressure, the clash left lasting scars.
Earlier this month, Trump’s administration also placed Colombia on a list of countries failing counter-narcotics obligations, criticizing Petro’s leadership. Petro, who took office in 2022 as Colombia’s first leftist president, initially sought peace deals with armed groups but later pivoted toward a combined social and military campaign against coca cultivation — with limited results.
Fallout Ahead
The State Department’s unprecedented move to revoke a sitting president’s visa signals a deepening divide between Bogotá and Washington. With Petro openly challenging U.S. policies on Gaza, deportations, and drug enforcement, analysts warn of economic and diplomatic consequences for Colombia, whose economy is tightly linked to U.S. trade.
As Petro doubles down on his criticism of Trump and the U.S. role in Gaza, the fallout may push Colombia into closer alignment with other Latin American and European states that have recognized Palestinian statehood — intensifying global divisions over the war.
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