Colombia’s President, Gustavo Petro, has warned that there is now a real threat of United States military action against his country following comments and actions by US President Donald Trump.
Petro made the claim in an interview with the BBC in Bogotá, saying recent remarks by Trump and US military actions in the region show that Washington increasingly treats other nations as part of an American empire.
“There is a real threat,” Petro said, adding that the risk could only be reduced through continued dialogue between both governments.
Tension between both leaders rose after US forces carried out strikes in Venezuela and arrested President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking after the operation, Trump said a military action targeting Colombia “sounds good.”
Trump also reportedly warned Petro to “watch his ass,” comments the Colombian leader strongly condemned.
Petro said the US risks moving from global influence to global isolation.
“If this continues, instead of a United States dominating the world, it will become a United States isolated from the world. An empire was not built by being isolated from the world,” he said.
The Colombian president also criticised US immigration enforcement, accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of operating like “Nazi brigades.”
He said, “ICE has reached the point where it no longer only persecutes Latin Americans in the streets, which for us is an affront, but it also kills United States citizens.”
Petro’s remarks followed a recent incident in Minneapolis where a US immigration agent shot dead a 37-year-old American citizen, Renee Nicole Good, during an operation that sparked protests. City officials later questioned the conduct of the agents involved.
President Trump has expanded ICE operations since returning to office, blaming illegal immigration for crime and drug trafficking. US authorities said over 605,000 people were deported between January and December 2025, while about 1.9 million migrants left voluntarily after public campaigns encouraging self-deportation.
Trump and Petro spoke by phone on Wednesday evening, with Trump later describing the conversation as a “great honour” and announcing plans to host Petro at the White House soon. A Colombian official said the call marked a major shift in tone.
However, Petro said relations have not improved significantly.
“The call lasted less than an hour, and most of it was occupied by me,” he said, adding that discussions focused on drug trafficking, Venezuela and US relations with Latin America.
Protests have since taken place across Colombia in defence of national sovereignty following Trump’s comments.
Asked how Colombia would respond if attacked, Petro said dialogue remained his preferred option.
“It’s not about confronting a large army with weapons we don’t have,” he said. “We rely on the masses, our mountains, and our jungles, as we always have.”
Petro also accused the US of decades of interference in Latin America, saying Colombia allows foreign intelligence agencies only to fight drug trafficking, not for covert political operations.
Trump has repeatedly accused Colombia of failing to control drug production. Speaking after the Venezuela operation, he described Petro as “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”
Petro denied the accusation, saying, “For 20 years I have been fighting drug cartels, at the cost of my family going into exile.”
Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine and is rich in oil and mineral resources. Petro, a former guerrilla fighter, has pushed a policy of dialogue with armed groups since taking office, a move critics say has allowed drug production to rise.
Responding to the criticism, Petro said coca cultivation growth was slowing and defended his approach.
“We talk peace with those willing, and we carry out military action against those who refuse,” he said.
“We are not fools. We know who we are negotiating with.”
