Key Takeaways
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro sparked controversy with a dubious comment about his US visa.
- US visa restrictions have strained US-Colombia relations.
- There is no evidence that the Colombian President’s US visa was revoked.
Mexico City: Colombian President Gustavo Petro has suspected that he no longer has a visa to travel to the United States, but the president’s claims have been rejected by local media.
Speaking during a televised cabinet meeting, Petro said that he could no longer travel to the United States. “I think they took away my visa,” the president said. “I didn’t need a visa, but oh well. I’ve seen Donald Duck several times, so I’m going to see other things,” Petro added.
Meanwhile, the Colombian El Espectador newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing US diplomatic sources in Bogota and Washington, that there was no record of the president’s visa having been revoked. No official notifications of such actions have been issued.
In February, Petro met with US interim Charge d’Affaires for Colombia John McNamara for the first time since the migrant strife with Washington. This meeting marked a significant step in improving US-Colombia relations.
US President Donald Trump said after his January 20 inauguration that he was going to immediately stop the penetration of undocumented immigrants into US territory and begin the process of extraditing millions of migrants back to their countries of origin. Brazil and Colombia criticized this decision, with Colombia briefly refusing to accept deportation flights. Trump then ordered a 25% tariff on Colombian goods. The US president also banned Colombian officials from entering the United States, imposed visa restrictions on their family members and other close associates, and introduced enhanced screening on all Colombian citizens at the US border. Colombia then agreed to accept the flights, and the US called off the tariff plans.
