By Harshit
BOGOTÁ, JAN. 9, 2026 —
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has warned that there is now a “real threat” of U.S. military action against his country, accusing Washington of behaving like an empire and escalating tensions across Latin America.
In an interview with the BBC, Petro said recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump — including suggestions that a military operation against Colombia “sounds good” — could not be dismissed as rhetoric.
“The prospect of a military attack is real,” Petro said, adding that Colombia’s history made such threats impossible to ignore.
Rising Tensions After Venezuela Operation
Petro’s comments follow the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro, an event that has unsettled governments across the region.
After that operation, Trump publicly threatened Colombia and repeatedly told Petro to “watch his ass,” language Petro described as unacceptable and dangerous. Demonstrations were held across Colombia in response, with protesters invoking national sovereignty and democratic principles.
Although Trump and Petro spoke by phone on Wednesday evening — a call Trump later described on Truth Social as a “Great Honour” — Petro said relations had not meaningfully improved.
“The conversation lasted just under an hour, most of it occupied by me,” Petro told the BBC, adding that he raised concerns about drug trafficking, Venezuela, and what he described as an increasingly aggressive U.S. posture toward Latin America.
Sharp Criticism of US Immigration Enforcement
Petro strongly criticised expanded U.S. immigration enforcement, accusing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of acting like “Nazi brigades” during operations inside the United States.
He cited a recent incident in Minneapolis, where an ICE agent shot dead a 37-year-old woman, Renee Nicole Good, sparking protests. Federal officials said Good attempted to run over agents, while city leaders disputed that account and accused the agent of reckless conduct.
“ICE has reached the point where it not only persecutes Latin Americans in the streets, which is already an affront to us,” Petro said, “but it also kills United States citizens.”
Deportations and US Justifications
The Trump administration has justified its expanded enforcement as a crackdown on crime and undocumented immigration. According to U.S. government figures, more than 605,000 people were deported between January and December 2025, while 1.9 million immigrants reportedly self-deported following federal campaigns urging them to leave voluntarily.
As of late November 2025, about 65,000 people were being held in ICE detention facilities, according to data compiled by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
Trump has frequently blamed Colombia and Venezuela for drug trafficking, describing Petro as “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.” Petro firmly denied the accusation.
“For 20 years I have been fighting drug cartels,” Petro said. “My family paid the price, even going into exile.”
‘Dialogue, Not War’
Asked how Colombia would defend itself in the event of a U.S. attack, Petro said he preferred dialogue over confrontation.
“It’s not about confronting a large army with weapons we don’t have,” he said. “We don’t even have anti-aircraft defences. Colombia’s history shows how it has responded — with its people, its mountains, and its jungles.”
Petro added that Colombia’s goal was to de-escalate regional conflict, warning that continued U.S. militarisation risked turning Washington from a global power into an isolated one.
“An empire is not built by isolating itself from the world,” he said.
Broader Regional Concerns
Petro confirmed he had spoken with Delcy Rodríguez, inviting her to Colombia, and warned against covert intelligence operations in the region. He said Venezuela had long been subject to foreign interference and stressed that any intelligence activity in Colombia should be limited strictly to combating drug trafficking.
As the world’s largest producer of cocaine, Colombia remains central to global narcotics routes, while also possessing significant oil and mineral resources. Petro accused Washington of pursuing conflict over fossil fuels, linking regional instability to global energy politics.
Despite his warnings, Petro said he remained committed to diplomacy.
“Colombia prefers dialogue,” he said. “But history obliges us to take these threats seriously.”