U.S. Revokes Petro's Visa; Petro Condemns Move

The U.S. State Department announced it will revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s U.S. visa after he spoke at a pro‑Palestinian rally in New York during the U.N. General Assembly, where he urged U.S. soldiers to “disobey orders” and to “obey the orders of humanity.” Petro used the platform to denounce U.S. and Israeli actions in Gaza—at times comparing them to genocide or the Holocaust—and called for a global armed force and U.N. measures to defend Palestinians. U.S. officials described his remarks as “reckless and incendiary,” and the visa revocation is a rare diplomatic step that could strain longstanding cooperation on security, counternarcotics and other bilateral issues. Petro condemned the visa revocation as a violation of diplomatic norms, said he did not need a U.S. visa, and framed the action as an attack on international law. The State Department has not detailed all diplomatic implications, and the episode follows earlier tensions between the two governments over deportations, drug‑control disputes and trade, making this a developing story.