US revokes Colombian president's visa over pro-Palestinian comments

The United States said it would revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro's visa after he took to New York's streets on Friday in a pro-Palestinian demonstration and urged US soldiers to disobey President Donald Trump's orders.

"We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions," the State Department posted on X.

Petro, addressing a crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters outside the UN headquarters in Manhattan, called for a global armed force with the priority to liberate Palestinians, adding, "This force has to be bigger than that of the United States."

"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 said in Spanish.

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

COLOMBIA'S ROCKY START WITH TRUMP

The United States is Colombia's main trading partner and its greatest ally in the fight against drug trafficking, but US-Colombia relations got off to a bad start shortly after Trump returned to office in January, when Petro refused to accept military flights carrying deportees in Trump's immigration crackdown.

Petro said his country's citizens were being treated like criminals. But he quickly reversed course, agreeing to accept the migrants, after both countries threatened tariffs on each other and after the US cancelled visa appointments for Colombians.

Trump this month put Colombia on a list of countries that Washington says have failed to uphold their counter-narcotics agreements, blaming Colombia's political leadership.

Petro came to office in 2022 promising agreements with armed groups but pivoted last year, pledging to tame coca-growing regions with massive social and military intervention. The strategy has brought little success.