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U.S. Revokes Colombian President Petro’s Visa After NYC Protest Remarks

The move heightens already frayed ties over counternarcotics, migration, Gaza.

On Tuesday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where he sharply denounced the Trump administration and urged for a criminal probe into recent US raids on accused drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro addresses pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside U.N. headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025.
Musician Roger Waters, addresses pro-Palestinian demonstrators alongside Colombian President Gustavo Petro, at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza outside U.N. headquarters during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 26, 2025. REUTERS/Bing Guan
President of Colombia Gustavo Petro Urrego addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Overview

  • The State Department said it would revoke Gustavo Petro’s visa, citing his call for U.S. soldiers to disobey presidential orders and claims he incited violence.
  • Speaking at a pro-Palestinian rally outside the United Nations, Petro urged American troops to reject Trump’s commands and proposed an international force to “free Palestine.”
  • After landing in Bogotá, Petro said he no longer had a U.S. visa and dismissed the sanction, noting his European citizenship and asserting UN-related immunity for attendance.
  • Colombian officials condemned the action, with Interior Minister Armando Benedetti blasting the decision and contrasting it with U.S. treatment of Israel’s leadership.
  • Analysts warn the step could strain security and counternarcotics cooperation, while the episode also intensifies disputes over UN access following the U.S. denial of a visa to Mahmoud Abbas.