Colombia’s Interior Minister, Armando Benedetti, has criticized the United States for revoking President Gustavo Petro’s visa, calling the move a mistake. He argued that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have faced scrutiny instead, while Petro was punished for speaking out.
The visa cancellation came shortly after Petro delivered a strong speech at the United Nations in New York, where he called for a “world salvation army” to liberate Palestine and urged soldiers to oppose orders that harm humanity.
Petro, who had already returned to Bogotá, responded defiantly, saying he considered himself “a free person in the world” and that losing a US visa did not concern him, since he can still enter the United States using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) as a European citizen.
During his UN visit, Petro also criticized recent US airstrikes on Caribbean drug-trafficking boats, claiming the attacks were more about asserting dominance over Latin America than fighting drugs. He suggested some of those killed may have been Colombian and accused US authorities of being allied with drug gangs, even as his government works to steer farmers away from coca cultivation.
Tensions between Petro’s left-wing administration—the first in Colombia’s history—and the Trump-led US government have grown in recent months, with Petro describing the airstrikes as acts of “tyranny.”
Benedetti said the visa revocation highlights how Washington protects its allies while punishing leaders who confront its policies.
