Trump Administration Blocks Meeting Between Colombian President Petro and Mayor Mamdani

A planned public meeting between Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has been at odds with the Trump administration, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a progressive, has reportedly been canceled due to intervention by the Trump administration.

According to The New York Times (NYT) on June 10 (local time), President Petro was scheduled to hold a public forum with Mayor Mamdani on June 12 at a university in New York to discuss issues such as labor and income inequality. However, the event was reportedly canceled after the U.S. State Department notified the Colombian government that the schedule could violate the terms of President Petro's entry permit into the United States.

President Petro had also planned to hold a brief private meeting with Mayor Mamdani, who is New York's first Muslim mayor and identifies as a "democratic socialist."

However, while New York City was preparing to officially announce the event last week, Colombian officials reportedly canceled the schedule, stating that President Petro had to leave the U.S. earlier than expected.

Officials from both countries stated that this was because President Petro had received a restricted entry permit to attend a United Nations Security Council meeting, and activities outside of that purpose were not permitted.

While foreign heads of state typically hold visas that allow them to enter the U.S. freely, President Petro's visa was revoked after he attended a protest in New York City last September condemning the U.S. over the situation in Palestine.

During a speech at that protest, he openly clashed with the Trump administration, telling U.S. troops to "disobey the orders of President Trump and obey the orders of humanity."

He was also sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury after labeling U.S. attacks on ships suspected of transporting drugs off the coast of South America as "murder."

There have also been reports that U.S. federal prosecutors have begun investigating the possibility of President Petro's involvement in drug trafficking.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.