Trump Administration Blocks Mamdani-Petro Meeting Over Visa Curbs on Colombia's President 2 Months Before Exit
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 10
Trump Administration Blocks Mamdani-Petro Meeting Over Visa Curbs on Colombia's President 2 Months Before Exit
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 10
Summary
State Department pressure in Bogotá led Colombia to cancel Gustavo Petro’s planned New York meeting with Mayor Zohran Mamdani after U.S. officials signaled the visit would breach Petro’s visa restrictions.
Those curbs stem from Petro’s September remarks urging U.S. soldiers to disobey orders over Gaza; Washington says U.N. travel is still allowed, but bilateral events outside that scope are not.
The canceled event was meant to include a private meeting and a public discussion on democracy in the Americas during Colombia’s June presidency of the U.N. Security Council.
Analysts called the move unusual for a non-pariah head of state whose term ends in 2 months, warning it could chill future U.N. visits by leaders who criticize the Trump administration.
The episode adds a new strain to Trump’s volatile relationship with Mamdani and comes a week after Trump weighed into Colombia’s election by backing a right-wing candidate against Petro’s ally.