[News] Gustavo Petro dismissed the US' revocation of his visa as politically motivated and irrelevant to his global mobility.

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/colombian-president-responds-to-us-visa-ban-over--israel--cr>
Colombian president responds to US visa ban over 'Israel' criticism
Al Mayadeen English
September 28, 2025
------------------------------

Colombian President Gustavo Petro dismissed the United States' revocation
of his visa as politically motivated and irrelevant to his global mobility.

   - [image: Colombia's President Gustavo Petro gives a statement during a
   forum on democracy and multilateralism at La Moneda palace in Santiago,
   Chile, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/9/28/19c26a03-3162-4384-9413-5617cca526b2.jpg?v=4&width=1000>
   Colombia's President Gustavo Petro gives a statement during a forum on
   democracy and multilateralism at La Moneda palace in Santiago, Chile,
   Monday, July 21, 2025. (*AP *Photo/Esteban Felix)

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has responded defiantly to the United
States’ decision to revoke his visa
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-revokes-colombian-president-petro-s-visa-after-gaza-prote>,
stating that he "doesn’t care" and criticizing Washington for what he
called a violation of international law over his stance on the war in Gaza.

“I no longer have a visa to travel to the United States. I don’t care. I
don’t need a visa … because I’m not only a Colombian citizen but a European
citizen, and I truly consider myself a free person in the world,” Petro
said on social media on Saturday.

He added, “Revoking it for denouncing genocide shows the US no longer
respects international law.”

In a separate post, the Colombian president denounced "Israel's" crimes in
Gaza by stating, "Humanity is against genocide, and in Colombia, there was
a genocide against the people when fascist conservatives ordered the
liberals to be defeated by blood and fire, and the genocide continued
afterward, allied with drug trafficking."

"Humanity demands an end to the crime against humanity in Gaza," Petro
further stated. "Israelis have experienced an act of terror against their
youth at a concert, and there were deaths that shouldn't have happened. But
the response must not be a crime against humanity. We cannot allow babies
to be murdered in Gaza."
'Missiles should not fall on civilian population of Gaza'

The Colombian president continued to condemn US foreign policy, attacking
its tactics of war and bombing of innocent people. "Missiles should not
fall on the civilian population of Gaza. Missiles should not fall on poor
young people in the service of drug traffickers or on farmers trying to
survive. Missiles should not fall on migrants who leave because they cannot
bear poverty. Migrants are not criminals and do not deserve the death
penalty; doing so is a crime against humanity."

"Trump, stay away from Hitler, there's still time," Petro said. "I prayed
for the American soldiers who, on the front lines of the Battle of the
Gothic Line near Florence, the Renaissance city in Italy, died for freedom.
I prayed in their cemetery."

Petro has been vocal in his condemnation of "Israel's"
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/colombia-s-petro-takes-jab-at-netanyahu--calls-him--criminal>
military operations in Gaza, aligning himself with international voices
accusing "Israel" of committing genocide. A recent UN inquiry supported
such claims, though "Israel" has denied all allegations, asserting its
right to self-defense.

During the UN General Assembly
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/unga-2025-opens-with-gaza--ukraine-wars-dominating-leaders>
last Thursday, Petro addressed pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside UN
headquarters in New York. He called for the formation of a global armed
force tasked with liberating Palestinians and urged US soldiers “not to
point their guns at people. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of
humanity.”

*Read more: US adds Colombia to drug list, drawing Petro’s rebuke
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-adds-colombia-to-drug-list--drawing-petro-s-rebuke>*

In response to the visa revocation, Colombia’s F
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/maduro-deploys-25-000-troops-to-colombia-border--caribbean-c>oreign
Affairs Ministry issued a statement condemning the move as an abuse of
diplomatic tools. The ministry stated that using visa restrictions as
retaliation undermines the spirit of the United Nations
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/un-sanctions-on-iran-snap-back-after-nuclear-talks-collapse>,
which guarantees member states' independence and protects freedom of
expression.

“The UN should find a completely neutral host country…that would allow the
organization itself to issue authorization to enter the territory of that
new host state,” the ministry said.
History of US visa revocations in Colombia

Gustavo Petro is not the first Colombian president to face US visa
restrictions. In 1996, then-president Ernesto Samper had his visa canceled
amid allegations that his presidential campaign received funding from the
Cali drug cartel.

The US State Department posted on social media that Petro’s visa was
revoked “due to his reckless and incendiary actions.”

Ties between Colombia and the United States have become increasingly
strained since Donald Trump returned to office. Earlier in 2025, Petro
suspended deportation flights from the US, prompting threats of tariffs and
sanctions before both sides reached a compromise.

In July, both countries recalled their ambassadors after Petro accused US
officials of plotting a coup, an accusation Washington rejected as baseless.

Petro also severed diplomatic ties with "Israel" in 2024 and banned
Colombian coal exports to the entity.
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