WASHINGTON ‒ The Trump administration said it would revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro's visa for urging U.S. soldiers to disobey President Donald Trump's orders when the Colombian leader spoke at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York City.

"We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions," the State Department wrote in a Sept. 26 post on X.

Petro, during a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, called for a global armed force to liberate Palestinians amid Israel's war in Gaza, saying the force must be "bigger than that of the United States."

"That's why, from here, from New York, I ask all the soldiers of the army of the United States not to point their guns at people. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity," Petro said in Spanish.

After returning to Bogotá, Petro addressed the State Department's action.

"I no longer have a visa to travel to the USA. I don't care," the Colombian leader wrote on X. "I don't need a Visa but an ESTA, because I'm not only a Colombian citizen but also a European citizen, and in reality, I consider myself a free person in the world."

Petro, Colombia's first leftist leader and an outspoken critic of the Israeli military action in Gaza, accused Trump in his remarks outside the UN of being "complicit in genocide" in Gaza. He also called for "criminal proceedings" over U.S. missile attacks on suspected drug-running boats in Caribbean waters.

In a separate X post after the protest, Petro accused Trump of violating the founding principles of the UN. "Time to go to a more democratic place. I propose Doha as the headquarters of the United Nations," Petro said.

Petro's remarks came after several Western countries ‒ including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Portugal ‒ recognized Palestinian statehood over the past week, angering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Trump administration.

Trump, during his Sept. 23 speech to the UN's General Assembly, called recognizing the Palestinian state a "reward" to Hamas for their actions.

Contributing: Reuters

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump administration says it will revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro's visa

Reporting by Joey Garrison, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect