Colombian President's Visa Canceled During U.S. Visit Amid "Incitement at New York Protest"

Colombian President Gustavo Petro participating in a New York protest (File photo from Yonhap News Agency, New York Reuters) September 27, 2026. Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks to pro-Palestinian protestors in a plaza outside the UN headquarters in New York, USA, on September 26, 2026. (REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo) 2026.9.27.

The U.S. State Department announced on the 26th (local time) that it plans to revoke the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is visiting the United States, citing "incitement at a protest" on the streets of New York.

In a post on social media platform X, the State Department stated, "Colombian President Gustavo Petro stood on the streets of New York and incited violence by urging U.S. soldiers to disobey orders. Due to his reckless and inciting behavior, we will revoke his visa."

President Petro is in New York, where the UN headquarters is located, to attend the UN General Assembly.

According to Reuters, he addressed a crowd gathered outside the UN headquarters, saying, "I urge all soldiers of the U.S. Army not to aim their guns at the people. Disobey Trump's orders and obey the orders of humanity!"

Bloomberg News reported that President Petro participated in a protest that day condemning the positions of the United States and Israel on the situation in Palestine.

President Petro, who has led Colombia's first left-wing government since August 2022, has maintained close relations with regional countries sharing similar political ideologies during his tenure, while also maintaining a friendly stance towards the United States, the "world's largest economy."

However, he has clashed with a potential second Trump administration to the extent that it could be called a diplomatic dispute.

Recently, the Trump administration removed Colombia from its status as a "drug cooperation partner," and consequently, the annual $500 million (700 billion won) in anti-drug trafficking budget support that the U.S. has been providing to Colombia is expected to be cut off.

The Colombian Presidential Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Yonhap News Agency