The U.S. State Department has revoked Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa after he urged American soldiers to defy President Trump during a protest in New York.
In a statement on social media, the department said the decision was made “due to his reckless and incendiary actions.” Petro had been in New York for the UN General Assembly and later joined a demonstration over the war in Gaza. Speaking to the crowd, he declared: “I ask all the soldiers of the United States’ army, don’t point your rifles against humanity” and “disobey the orders of Trump.”
It remains unclear whether the visa cancellation forced Petro to cut his U.S. trip short. He returned to Colombia on Saturday. The State Department did not say whether the move would affect his ability to visit in the future.
In a response on X directed at Trump, Petro argued that international law grants him immunity for UN travel and protection for expressing his opinions. “I am a free person,” he wrote. He added that he was unbothered by the punishment, noting that his European citizenship allows him to enter the U.S. without a visa.
Tensions between Washington and Bogotá have grown since Trump returned to office. Relations soured after Petro initially refused to allow U.S. military flights carrying deportees to land in Colombia under Trump’s immigration policy. Trump threatened tariffs and visa suspensions, leading Petro’s government to relent.
The U.S. remains Colombia’s largest trading partner and a key ally in the fight against drug trafficking. Earlier this week, Petro criticized U.S. airstrikes on boats in the Caribbean, calling them acts of “murder.”