BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) – Colombia’s foreign minister has “waived” US visas to protest decisions by the US State Department Rescising visa for Gustavo Peter, President of Colombiathe Colombian government said Monday.
The decision by Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio will escalate tensions between the two countries more than issues that include: Drug Policythe war between Gaza and a The US Navy will be built in nearby Venezuela..
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry did not answer questions about what Visa Villavicencio had, but said in a statement it was not interested in “diplomatic visas that restrict opinions” or reduced the country’s “sovereignty.”
Later on Monday, Colombian Finance Minister Jhanan Avila wrote in X’s message that he would stop using the visa in “solidarity” with Peter. “We don’t need a visa to work for our people,” Villa wrote.
The US State Department revoked Peter’s visa on Friday after he joined the protest in New York. The War in GazaPeter called for the creation of an international army to free the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
With a megaphone and wearing the traditional Palestinian scarf, Petro, asked American soldiers to “not follow” President Donald Trump’s orders, adding that “we should not point to rifles that oppose humanity.”
Hours after the protest, the State Department said on social media that Peter’s visa would be cancelled “due to his reckless and incitemental actions.”
Peter spent several days attending the UN General Assembly in New York before returning to Colombia when the visa was announced. He wrote to X that he “didn’t mind” about the punishment as he is also an Italian citizen and could probably travel to the US without a visa.
Peter’s visa revocation shows a new low in the relationship between leftists with the Trump administration. Not fulfilling Their international commitment to curb drug trafficking.
Jeff Ramsey, a Columbia analyst with the Atlantic Council, said the Foreign Minister’s decision to ban visits to the United States would pose more obstacles to relationships. He also said it reflects the Peter administration’s efforts to distance itself from the US government as Colombia heads for Congress and presidential elections next year.
“Petro is not even remotely interested in repairing his relationship with Washington,” Ramsey said. “He is clearly stakes that the conflict with Trump will earn his coalition points in the upcoming election cycle and is willing to train bilateral relations with the United States in the process.”
Miami-based immigration lawyer David Hart said that non-immigrant visa holders are extremely rare, including tourists and those with diplomatic visas to waive travel permits.
He said those who do not want to travel to the US can choose to expire their visa and not renew it.
“They are doing this for the media and they are doing this to show solidarity,” Hart said of the Foreign Minister’s efforts to waive her visa.
Miami immigration lawyer Wilfred Allen said there is no formal process to stop a non-immigrant visa. He added that Colombian Foreign Minister must send a letter to the US Embassy seeking cancellation of travel permits.
“If you don’t want to travel to the US, you can simply choose not to come,” Allen said. “I never saw that it took a long time for someone to waive a non-immigrant visa.”
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