President Petro’s Daughter Threatens Americans in Colombia with Deportation

Andrea Petro, the daughter of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, threatened on social media that Colombia would deport one American for every Colombian deported from the U.S. In a post published yesterday on X.com, she reignited the controversy over deportations between the U.S. and Colombia.

President Petro’s daughter vows to deport one American for every Colombian deported

“For every Colombian deported, we’ll send back a gringo from El Poblado,” reads the text, superimposed on a childlike image of dolphins and rainbows, which President Petro’s daughter posted on X.com.

The post follows last Sunday’s unprecedented and short-lived diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and Colombia, which began after President Petro refused to accept a U.S. deportation military flight carrying Colombian citizens, citing the need to respect their dignity. The decision sparked a wave of retaliatory measures and threats from President Trump, including visa cancellations, travel bans, financial sanctions, and tariffs on Colombia, prompting the government to backtrack.

“Un gringo del Poblado” specifically refers to the American expat community living in the El Poblado neighborhood of Medellin, which has one of the highest concentrations of American tourists and residents in the country. The choice of words is deliberate, as “gringo” is a common, often negative, term used in Colombia to refer to Americans.

“Un gringo del Poblado” is also a colloquial term used to describe the stereotype of the American expat in Colombia, particularly in Medellin. This stereotype often portrays them as drug consumers, who drive up real estate prices, frequently use prostitutes, or even become involved in child trafficking.

The comment made by Petro’s daughter echoes an argument made by the president himself during his online exchanges with U.S. President Donald Trump, where he suggested that the deportation of irregular Americans in Colombia was also on the table. “There are 15,660 Americans living irregularly in Colombia. They should approach our immigration services to regularize their status,” Petro said.

However, he tempered his remarks by adding: “American citizens who wish to stay in Colombia are welcome. I believe in human freedom. You will never see me burning an American flag or carrying out a raid to send irregular migrants back to the U.S. in handcuffs. True libertarians will never attack human freedom. We are the opposite of Nazis.”