BOGOTÁ, Colombia (Chatnewstv.com) — The United States has revoked the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro after he urged American soldiers to disobey orders from President Donald Trump during a protest in New York, further straining relations between the two allies.
The State Department announced the move Friday on social media, saying Petro “stood on a NYC street and urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence. We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions.”
Petro made the comments while attending a demonstration near the United Nations General Assembly over the war in Gaza.
“I ask all the soldiers of the United States’ army, don’t point your rifles against humanity,” he said. “Disobey the orders of Trump.”
Petro returned to Colombia on Saturday as planned, according to a Sept. 18 decree delegating powers during his absence. He said he learned of the visa decision upon his arrival.
On X, formerly Twitter, Petro wrote that “international law grants me immunity to go to the U.N. and that there should be no reprisals for my free opinion, because I am a free person.” He added that he “did not care” about the punishment, noting that as a European citizen he does not need a visa to travel to the U.S.
The State Department did not clarify whether the revocation would block future visits.
Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president and a former rebel, has frequently clashed with Washington. In his General Assembly speech Tuesday, he called for a criminal investigation into Trump and other U.S. officials over recent deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean.
Colombia has historically been one of Washington’s closest partners in Latin America, particularly on anti-narcotics operations. But ties have soured under Trump. Earlier this year, Petro resisted deportation flights using U.S. military aircraft, prompting Trump to threaten higher tariffs and visa suspensions.
The U.S. also accused Colombia this month of failing to fully cooperate in counter-narcotics efforts — a rebuke Petro said ignored the sacrifices of Colombians. “We have lost policemen, soldiers and regular citizens trying to stop cocaine from reaching the United States,” he said.
Petro broke ties with Israel in 2024 and has described its siege of Gaza as genocide, further fueling tensions with Washington.
