U.S. State Department Directs Colombia to Cancel Planned Meeting Between NYC Mayor Mamdani and President Petro

U.S. State Department directed Colombian officials to cancel a planned private meeting between New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Colombia's outgoing president Gustavo Petro. The meeting had been scheduled during Petro's visit to New York for United Nations events and was intended to discuss democracy in the Americas.

U.S. and Colombian officials met in Bogotá, where the State Department informed Colombian officials that the engagement was unacceptable. Colombian officials interpreted the comments as a threat to arrest Petro on site.

After the meeting was canceled, Bogotá told Mamdani's office that the left-wing leader's trip was being shortened and would exclude the possibility for a conversation. The State Department canceled Petro's visa last year after he attended a pro-Palestinian rally in Manhattan. Petro is still allowed to attend UN Security Council events in Manhattan as host of the world body's headquarters.

"A visa is a privilege, not a right," the State Department official said. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and Manhattan have been investigating Petro for alleged ties to drug traffickers. The Associated Press reported the investigation in late March.

Petro is a former rebel leader. On Sunday, Petro tweeted "Heil Hitler" in response to an op-ed column that supported a right-wing presidential candidate. President Trump described Petro as "terrific" after the two met at the White House in February.

A State Department official stated that Trump made a good-faith effort to find common ground during the February meeting but that Petro continues with this kind of behavior. Trump and Mamdani both attended the Knicks game against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden on Monday night but were not seated together.