The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, claimed yesterday that the U.S. had revoked his visa, making it impossible for him to enter the country. Petro has traveled to the U.S. on multiple occasions, including to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, meet with former President Joe Biden—Donald Trump’s predecessor—and participate in private forums.
Petro claims US revoked his visa
During yesterday’s Council of Ministers meeting on Monday, April 21, the Colombian president asserted that the administration of President Donald Trump had withdrawn his visa to enter the U.S.
Gustavo Petro mentioned the visa issue while noting that Colombia’s Minister of Finance, German Avila, traveled to the U.S. this week to attend meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB).
“I can no longer go because I believe they’ve taken away my visa. I didn’t need to have one, but oh well. I’ve already seen Donald Duck several times, so I’ll go see other things,” the Colombian leader remarked during his address to the council of ministers.
El presidente de Colombia 🇨🇴 Gustavo Petro , afirmó durante el consejo de ministros de este lunes, que ya no puede viajar a Estados Unidos porque, según dijo, le quitaron la visa
No tenía necesidad de tener visa, pero bueno. Ya vi al pato Donald varias veces
📹📺 Video Cortesía pic.twitter.com/9lkRI930kt
— Pedro René González h (@peregonba) April 22, 2025
Petro-Trump: a brief history of tensions between Colombia and the US
This decision arises amid a growing rift between the governments of Colombia and the United States. Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, disagreements with Colombian President Gustavo Petro have been constant.
In fact, just days after beginning his second term, Trump clashed with his Colombian counterpart over the deportation of irregular Colombian migrants and the conditions under which they were expelled.
Later, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated in a televised interview that Petro—whom she met in Bogota—had defended members of the Venezuelan-origin criminal group Tren de Aragua, a claim Petro denied.
Among the latest points of contention is the Colombian government’s anti-drug policy. Since taking office in August 2022, Petro has focused his anti-narcotics strategy on targeting organized crime networks, drastically reducing the forced eradication of illicit crops.
The result was a record surge in coca production, the base ingredient for cocaine. Despite increased cocaine seizures, the U.S. views this system unfavorably, as it ultimately leads to more cocaine entering the market.
Though Colombia recently decided to resume manual glyphosate fumigation ahead of illicit crop substitution programs, the risk remains high that the country could be “decertified” by the U.S. in September for its handling of the drug war.
For many, revoking Gustavo Petro’s visa would signal that within five months, the country he leads could lose this critical certification, which would result in the withdrawal of funds for Colombia’s anti-narcotics efforts.
Related: US Denies Revoking Colombia’s Petro Visa.
The US already revoked President Samper’s visa
Petro would be the second Colombian president in history to have his U.S. visa revoked. Twenty-nine years ago, Ernesto Samper also lost his visa after allegations emerged that money from drug traffickers—specifically the then-powerful Cali Cartel—had financed his presidential campaign.
Ernesto Samper, who served as Colombia’s president from 1994 to 1998, faced one of the country’s largest political scandals: the so-called Process 8000. This term refers to the judicial investigation into claims that his campaign received funds from the Cali Cartel.
The accusations followed revelations from witnesses and recordings suggesting that at least US$6 million from drug trafficking had entered his campaign. The scandal shook Colombia’s institutions and triggered a deep crisis of trust in the political class.
Several members of his campaign team were convicted, including his treasurer, Santiago Medina, and former minister Fernando Botero.
However, Ernesto Samper himself was never convicted. In 1996, the House of Representatives dismissed the investigation against him due to a lack of direct evidence.
Though he maintained his innocence and completed his term, his presidency remained overshadowed by Process 8000—a symbol of the ties between politics and drug trafficking in Colombia.