Overview
- The U.S. State Department revoked President Gustavo Petro’s visa, citing “reckless and incendiary actions” after he urged U.S. troops to disobey orders during a New York pro‑Palestinian rally.
- Acting Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio said she renounced her U.S. visa in protest, as Colombia’s government condemned the move as a “diplomatic weapon” that violates the spirit of the U.N. Charter.
- Petro, who returned to Bogotá after the U.N. General Assembly, said he did not care about the revocation and claimed he could travel on his European citizenship using ESTA.
- The dispute expands existing strains that include a recent U.S. counternarcotics “decertification,” disagreements over Gaza, and criticism in Bogotá of a U.S. naval buildup near Venezuela.
- Immigration attorneys told AP it is highly unusual to renounce a nonimmigrant U.S. visa and that such steps are largely symbolic without a formal process.