U.S. Cancels Colombian President’s Visa Amid Growing Bilateral Tensions
Colombian President Gustavo Petro at a pro-Palestine protest in New York. Source: PBS News.
On Friday, September 26, the United States Department of State announced it would cancel Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa. This decision came after Petro, who was in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), participated in a protest against the war in Gaza. Petro then posted a video to social media, where he stated that “It [the global 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 US not to point their rifles at humanity.” Petro later added, “Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity.”
Following Petro’s comments, the U.S. State Department responded via X, saying that Petro "urged US soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence.” The State Department also said that due to Petro’s “reckless and incendiary actions,” his visa will be revoked.
Following the State Department’s actions, Petro was met with solidarity from other Colombian politicians. Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio “renounced” her US visa. In addition, Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti posted on X that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visa should have been revoked rather than Petro’s. Benedetti added that “...since the empire [United States] protects him [Netanyahu], it’s taking it out on the only president who was capable enough to tell him the truth to his face.”
Benedetti’s comments and the dialogue between Petro and the U.S. State Department reflect a complicated and worsening relationship between Petro and Trump, and an overall escalating tension between the U.S. and Colombia. Petro has frequently clashed with Trump over migration and drug policy. At the UNGA, Petro rebuked the Trump administration and called for a criminal investigation into recent U.S. strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean. Petro claims there were no “narco-terrorists” on these boats, just poor Caribbean youth. The U.S. continues to strongly disagree and has urged Colombia to crack down on the use of narcotics. In addition, just two weeks into Trump’s term, Petro blocked the landing of two U.S. military flights deporting migrants into Colombia.
These recent clashes are not the only instances of Trump and Petro’s political disagreements. Elected in 2022 with over 50% of the vote, Petro is Colombia’s first leftist leader. During Trump’s 2020 election campaign, he called Petro a “bad guy,” and subsequently criticized Joe Biden for receiving Petro’s endorsement.
Petro’s actions throughout Trump’s term and his recent criticism of the United States’ role in Gaza have shown that Petro is not afraid to stand up to Trump. The worsening relationship between the two politicians has implications for the upcoming elections in Colombia and U.S.-Colombia relations in general. A historically important U.S. ally in the Caribbean, Colombia is one of the United States’ closest security partners in the region. The relationship between these countries also has implications for the fight against drug trafficking, U.S. foreign assistance cuts, and tariffs. Petro’s opposition to U.S. counternarcotics policies and attacks on alleged drug shipments in the Caribbean and alleged antisemitic rhetoric have led some members of Congress to question whether Colombia should still receive assistance from the U.S. As this unfolds, only time will tell if Petro remains steadfast in his views despite waning American support or if policies shift to regain American economic and security assistance.
As for the upcoming 2026 elections in Colombia, far-right former president (and Trump ally) Álvaro Uribe will seek to return to power against Petro. Uribe was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest in August 2025 for witness tampering. In this trial, he was convicted of influencing witnesses in a separate investigation regarding his links to right-wing paramilitary groups, becoming the first former Colombian president to be convicted of a crime. Following his conviction, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the conviction, showing American right-wing leaders' alignment with Uribe. Uribe has been accused of working with right-wing paramilitaries to defeat Marxist leftist rebel groups, groups that the current president, Petro, has historically been involved with. With increasingly tense relations between Petro and Trump and the alliance of Trump and Uribe, Trump might likely support Uribe’s quest to return to power. This, coupled with the steady support of the Colombian citizens that Uribe still holds, could signal Colombia’s shift back to right-wing politics after their only leftist administration.
The recent suspension of Petro’s visa is the most recent step in the increasingly tense relationship between Petro and Trump. This worsening relationship has implications for upcoming Colombian elections as a Trump-backed right-wing politician seeks to defeat Petro and return to office, potentially reverting Colombia to a right-wing-dominated history. Going forward, a rocky U.S.– Colombia relationship has implications for U.S. foreign policy. The Trump administration may potentially stop assisting Colombia if Petro does not comply with U.S. drug policy in the Caribbean, which is bound to have steep implications for Petro’s administration. Petro will have to determine how to respond to U.S. demands, tariffs, and threats.