The State Department made the decision against Viviana Marín after she spread a message calling for ongoing mobilizations against the new Colombian government. Washington stated that it does not tolerate political opposition through violence or intimidation
The U.S. decision adds to other measures taken by the Trump administration against Colombian activists. The most recent case mentioned in relation to Rubio's policy is that of Franklin Humberto Coral Garrido, known as Beto Coral, who was arrested in the United States in June and subsequently deported to Colombia.
The United States revoked the visa of Colombian communist politician Viviana Marín, a member of the Communist Youth of Colombia (JUCO), after she released a video calling on her supporters to take to the streets and make the country “unlivable” during the government of President Abelardo de la Espriella.
Landau published the message along with Marín's video and stated that the activist has the right to express her political opinions, but that this right does not automatically imply the right to enter the United States.
The controversy began after the Colombian presidential elections in June. In a recording later shared on social media, Marín urged her fellow militants to maintain a permanent mobilization against the new administration. Among her statements was the call to “make this country unlivable for Abelardo de la Espriella”.
Marín holds the position of political secretary of JUCO in Bogotá. Following the release of the video, a group of lawyers filed a complaint with the Colombian Prosecutor's Office, accusing her of crimes such as incitement to commit a crime. The communist activist, for her part, later defended the mobilizations as a legitimate form of political opposition and claimed that her organization was being persecuted.
The government of Donald Trump has hardened its stance in recent months against foreigners who, according to Washington, use U.S. territory or platforms based there to engage in activities it considers contrary to its foreign policy interests.
In Marín's case, the measure means that she will no longer be able to enter the United States with the visa she had in effect. The decision was publicly communicated by the State Department and comes amid a growing political confrontation in Colombia following the change of government.
The visa revocation thus marks a new signal from Washington to those who propose political opposition through calls that U.S. authorities consider linked to intimidation or violence, even though the administration itself acknowledges the right of foreign citizens to express their political opinions.
