The United States State Department announced late Friday that they have revoked the visa for Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
This major diplomatic step immediately followed President Petro’s highly controversial remarks at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro addresses pro-Palestinian demonstrators in New York. Pic: Reuters
The abrupt move to withdraw the Gustavo Petro visa has intensified tensions between Washington and Bogotá, two historical allies. Petro was in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, where he had already launched fierce criticism against the US administration.
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Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters at the rally outside the UN. Pic: Reuters
We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions.
— Department of State (@StateDept) September 27, 2025
Colombia’s Interior Minister Armando Benedetti condemned the visa cancellation, arguing on social media that the President was being punished for daring to speak the truth on the world stage. Petro, a leftist former guerrilla and Colombia’s first-ever leftist leader, has had a complicated relationship with the current U.S. administration since taking office in 2022.
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Disputes over counternarcotics efforts have strained relations significantly. Recently the U.S. decertified Colombia as a partner in anti-drug efforts. The president was already travelling back to Bogotá when the visa cancellation was formally announced.
The Gustavo Petro visa revocation now raises serious questions about the future of diplomatic relations and collaboration on regional issues between the two nations.
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