Far-left President of Colombia Gustavo Petro proposed on Tuesday to relocate the Statue of Liberty from New Jersey to the Colombian city of Cartagena in an unhinged rant against the United States’ illegal immigration policies.
Petro issued his wild proposal in remarks during a presidential broadcast in Cartagena that, according to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, was intended to be focused on the subject of Colombia’s healthcare system and its ongoing financial shortcomings. Petro reportedly pivoted during his speech to lash out against the United States and the ongoing crackdown against illegal immigration implemented by the administration of President Donald Trump. Petro also condemned the illegal immigrant detention center at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, commonly known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
“And back to the topic at hand. So, are they going to treat us like slaves in chains on airplanes? Chasing us through the streets of New York? They killed a Colombian woman for that,” Petro rambled. “So they think we’re inferior and believe that because they have white skin, they’re a superior race. Only Hitler believes that. And that has to change.”
“The Democrats have already said it, the woman who went to visit the Alcatraz prison in Florida. It’s a crime against humanity — please don’t do it. Here we talk about democracy and freedom, both the Anglo-Saxons who arrived in puritan boats and the Latin Americans who have been here for 30,000 years,” he continued.
Petro then called to “agree on what matters, democracy and freedom.” Otherwise, he asserted, “that statue in New York [sic] should be moved to Cartagenta.” The Colombian president justified his proposal by alleging that “those who did fight for freedom were the black people who founded the first free territory in all of America, located near Cartagena and called San Basilio de Palenque, which this government has finally turned into a municipality.”
Hours before his broadcast in Cartagena, Petro published a statement on social media asking President Trump not to open “Alligator Alcatraz,” describing the Florida facility as a “crime against humanity” and an “indelible affront to the peoples who have inhabited the Americas for 30,000 years.”
“Migration is a human right. Let us build the conditions for progress in the Americas, together and for the good of humanity, and what will result is permanent peace and prosperity for all. We will have less migration and a great America,” Petro said, and accompanied the message with a link to a Mexican outlet article reporting on Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and other Democrat Congressmen’s recent visit to the facility.
Petro, a former member of the Marxist M19 terrorist group and Colombia’s first leftist president in the country’s history, is a fierce critic of the Trump administration’s illegal migrant crackdown policies. In January, the far-left president caused a diplomatic crisis with the United States by abruptly refusing to accept a U.S. deportation flight of Colombian nationals, making the announcement in a late-night Twitter post.
President Trump responded to Petro’s sudden decision with a barrage of retaliatory measures, including tariffs and visa sanctions against Colombian government officials. Petro caved hours later and “agreed to all” of President Trump’s terms.
Petro caused another diplomatic impasse with the United States in June after he, without evidence, claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was allegedly scheming with a “Colombian far-right leader” to oust him from power. Rubio responded to the baseless accusations by recalling Chargé d’Affaires John T. McNamara from the U.S. embassy in Colombia, a diplomatic measure Petro reciprocated, recalling Colombia’s ambassador to the United States Daniel García-Peña.
Last week, reports published by Colombian outlets indicated that Petro privately apologized to President Trump for his accusations against Rubio in a letter addressed to Trump. Both countries reportedly returned their respective ambassadors to their diplomatic posts last week. According to statements issued by Colombian Chief of Staff Alfredo Saade in early July, the United States government has started revoking U.S. visas to Colombian government officials who were affiliated with M19 in the past. Petro claimed in April that his U.S. visa had been revoked, but asserted that he is not bothered by it because he had “already seen Donald Duck several times.”
Petro’s migrant rants against the United States have not been limited to the U.S. government’s policies. Hours after the November 4, 2024, election, Petro criticized Hispanic Americans who voted for Trump in the election, claiming that such migrants, upon obtaining lawful U.S. resident status, “kick the ladder” to prevent other migrants from attaining the same status.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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