Trump administration pressured Colombia president to cancel meeting with NYC mayor: report

A planned meeting between New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Colombian President Gustavo Petro was reportedly called off following pressure from the administration of then-U.S. President Donald Trump. The meeting, intended to be followed by a public event discussing Western democracy, was scheduled during Petro's visit to the U.S., while Colombia held the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.

According to The Washington Post, citing sources familiar with the matter, a State Department official claimed that meeting with Mamdani could have led Petro to violate visa restrictions. These restrictions were reportedly imposed after Petro criticized the U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza and urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders. The official stated that a U.S. visa is a privilege and its revocation is possible if individuals outrageously implore U.S. soldiers to disobey the president.

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A visa is a privilege, not a right. Any individual’s US visa is at risk of revocation if they visit America and outrageously implore US soldiers to disobey orders of the duly elected president of the United States.

Petro has been a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy, accusing the U.S. of complicity in genocide in Gaza and condemning its actions related to Venezuela. Adam Isacson, a Colombia expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, suggested that this action could set a precedent for punishing world leaders who criticize the U.S. administration, potentially deterring future visits by leaders concerned about similar repercussions. Isacson noted that Petro, unlike dictators, is a democratically elected leader whose term is set to end.

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One doesn’t have to like Gustavo Petro to recognize that he isn’t in the same category as those leaders. If this is a new precedent of world leaders who criticize this administration having their UN visits truncated, then they will stop coming.