Threat of US military action against Colombia is ‘real’, country’s president tells BBC

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the US is treating other nations as part of an American ’empire’ BBC Colombian President Gustavo Petro told the BBC he believes there is now a “real threat” of US military action against Colombia. According to Petro, the US is treating other nations as part of an American “empire.” The statement comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Colombia with military action. Petro said the U.S. is at risk of moving from a country that “dominates the world” to one that will be “isolated from the world.” ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp SANDRA COHEN: In a recycled regime under US supervision, Delcy Rodríguez sends contradictory signals in Venezuela Petro also accused agents from the United States Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) of acting like “Nazi brigades”. Trump has significantly expanded ICE operations as part of what his administration has described as combating crime and illegal immigration in the United States. When contacted by the BBC, the White House has not yet commented on Petro’s statements. On a day of large demonstrations in Colombia, Trump and Petro talk by phone After US attacks on Venezuela and the capture of Nicolás Maduro, Trump stated that a military operation against Colombia “seems like a good idea”. The US president also repeatedly told Petro to “watch his own ass”, statements that the Colombian president strongly condemned. Trump and Petro spoke by phone on Wednesday night (7). After the call, the American president stated that he would meet with his Colombian counterpart at the White House in the “near future”. In a post made late Wednesday night on the Truth Social platform, Trump described the conversation as a “great honor.” A Colombian official said at the time that the dialogue had reflected a 180-degree shift in rhetoric “on both sides.” However, on Thursday (8), Petro’s tone indicated that the relationship had not improved significantly. He told the BBC that the call lasted just under an hour, “most of the time taken up by me”, and dealt with “drug trafficking in Colombia” and the country’s view of Venezuela and “what is happening in Latin America in relation to the US”. Petro once again harshly criticized the recent US immigration enforcement policy, accusing ICE agents of acting like “Nazi brigades”. President Trump often blames immigration for crimes and drug trafficking in the US, using this argument to justify large-scale operations, and accuses countries like Colombia and Venezuela of not doing enough to combat drug trafficking. Since returning to the White House, Trump has deployed ICE agents to several cities around the country. The ICE agency is responsible for enforcing immigration laws and conducting investigations into irregular immigration. It also works to remove undocumented immigrants from the US. The Trump administration claims to have deported 605,000 people between January 20 and December 10, 2025. It also said that 1.9 million immigrants “voluntarily self-deported” following an aggressive public awareness campaign that encouraged people to leave the country on their own to avoid arrest or detention. Around 65,000 people were detained by ICE on 11/30/25, according to data obtained by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse immigration project, a compilation of government data from Syracuse University (USA). This week, a US immigration agent shot and killed a 37-year-old American citizen in the city of Minneapolis, sparking protests. Federal authorities said Renee Nicole Good tried to run over immigration agents with her car. The city’s mayor, Jacob Frey (from the Democratic Party, in opposition to Trump), stated that the agent who fired the gun acted recklessly and demanded that the agents leave the city. Petro said ICE “has reached a point where it no longer just persecutes Latin Americans on the streets, which to us is an affront, but also kills U.S. citizens.” He added that if this continues, “instead of a US dominating the world — an imperial dream — there will be a US isolated from the world. An empire is not built by being isolated from the world.” Petro stated that the US, for “decades”, treated other governments, especially those in Latin America, as part of an “empire”, regardless of the law. Petro said Venezuela ‘has long been the target of interference from various intelligence agencies’ BBC Trump and Petro are long-time adversaries and frequently exchange insults and tariff threats on social media. Following American military action in Venezuela, Petro accused the US of seeking wars over “oil and coal”. He added that if the US had not abandoned the Paris Agreement, in which countries agreed to limit the rise in global temperatures by reducing the use of fossil fuels, “there would be no wars, there would be a much more democratic and peaceful relationship with the world. And with South America.” “That’s what the Venezuelan issue is about,” he said. After Trump’s statements threatening military action in Colombia, protests were held in several parts of the South American country in the name of sovereignty and democracy. Petro told the BBC that Trump’s comments represented a “real threat”, citing the loss of Colombian territories (like Panama in the 20th century), and stated that “the possibility of eliminating [a ameaça] it depends on ongoing conversations.” Asked how Colombia would defend itself in the event of a US attack, Petro said he “would prefer it to be through dialogue.” According to Petro, “there is work being done” in this regard. But he added: “Colombia’s history shows how it responded to large Armies.” “It’s not about facing a large Army with weapons that we don’t have. We don’t even have anti-aircraft defenses. Instead, we rely on the masses, on our mountains and our jungles, as we always have.” Petro confirmed that he also spoke with Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president and former vice president and minister of Petroleum, and invited her to visit Colombia. He stated that Venezuela “has long been the target of interference by various intelligence agencies,” adding that while these agencies are permitted to operate in Colombia, this is exclusively to combat drug trafficking. Petro denounced attempts by what he classified as other “covert operations” in the country. He did not comment directly when asked if he feared that the CIA carried out covert operations in Colombia similar to those that, according to him, took place in Venezuela, or if he feared that his own government or close circles might have informants. hubs of global drug trafficking. The country also has significant oil reserves, as well as gold, silver, emeralds, platinum and coal. The US said it will control sales of Venezuelan oil “indefinitely” as it prepares to reverse restrictions imposed on the country’s crude oil in global markets” and added: “He is a sick man who likes to produce cocaine and sell it to the US. will not continue doing this for long.” Petro denied the accusations, stating that “it has always been proven that I am not involved in this.” “I have been fighting against drug cartels for 20 years, at the cost of my family having to go into exile,” he said. A former guerrilla fighter, Petro adopted a strategy of “total peace” from the beginning of his term, with priority given to dialogue with armed groups. Critics claim that the approach was too lenient, in a context of record cocaine production. that went wrong and accepted being held responsible, Petro said the growth of coca cultivation is slowing down and described “two simultaneous approaches.” One is to talk about peace with groups that are criminals. The other is to develop a military offensive against those who do not want peace”, he stated. According to Petro, there are ongoing negotiations in the south of Colombia, “where the greatest reduction in the cultivation of coca leaves has occurred” and “where the homicide rate has fallen the most in the country”. Cocaine is produced from the leaves of the coca plant. The policy of dialogue, he stated, aims to “de-escalate violence”.

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