US May Widen Colombia Visa Bans Beyond 21

COLOMBIA · US SANCTIONS

The United States is weighing a fourth round of pressure on Colombian figures after the latest Colombia visa bans, the Bogotá daily El Tiempo said on Friday 23 October 2026. Its investigative unit says sources in Washington expect serving and retired police officers and members of courts to be included, and that US federal agents recently asked about people close to former president Gustavo Petro.

For US readers this shows how the State Department and the Treasury now work together on Colombia, a major US partner against drug trafficking. Nothing has been announced, the sources are unnamed, and everyone mentioned in this article is presumed innocent.

We covered the latest step in US Restricts Visas for 7 Named Colombians, when the State Department restricted visas for 21 people on 22 October. This article covers what the newspaper says may come next, and what the US and Colombian records show so far.

What El Tiempo Says Comes Next

El Tiempo’s investigative unit published the piece at 23:01 Colombia time on Friday 23 October. It quotes a source in Washington saying the fourth phase would combine visa withdrawals, OFAC listings and, or, referrals to prosecutors “to thicken two indictments”, in our translation.

The paper adds that a group of US federal agents was in Bogotá about a week ago and asked about other people near Petro and about the cases some of them face in Colombia. The headline names the FBI, while the text says only federal agents, and we found no confirmation from the FBI or the State Department.

One name the paper links to the questions is Juliana Guerrero, the young woman who was to be named vice minister of youth under Petro. An unnamed source told it her case could end with the loss of her US visa, and that agents also asked about alleged missions to mediate kidnappings with a group treated as terrorist, using police aircraft.

These claims are unverified, and the text we read carries no reply from Guerrero or from Petro. A visa withdrawal is an administrative decision, not a criminal finding.

Where the Colombia Visa Bans Stand

On 24 October 2025 the Treasury’s sanctions office, OFAC, listed Petro under counter-narcotics authorities, together with his then wife Verónica Alcocer, his son Nicolás Petro and Armando Benedetti, then interior minister. The Treasury said Alcocer had been named an ambassador by Petro, a post a Colombian court later annulled.

Semana reported on 7 October that all four stayed on the list even though about 73 other Colombians and companies were removed. Petro has criticised his own listing, saying it followed his stance at the United Nations, Infobae reported in May.

On 28 September the State Department announced a visa policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of US immigration law, aimed at people it says undermine elected governments through corruption or drug trafficking. It covered 26 people in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and in Colombia it named senator Martha Peralta and businessman Euclides Torres.

On 22 October a statement in the name of Secretary of State Marco Rubio added 21 people in Colombia and named seven, among them former Ecopetrol chief Ricardo Roa. It said the US “stands with the government of Colombia” in removing criminal influence from its courts, police and legislature.

Allegations Around Alcocer and Grau

El Tiempo says federal agents describe Manel Grau, a 54-year-old Catalan who has travelled with Alcocer, as a target of interest in State Department inquiries. Grau denies wrongdoing and has announced legal action against Eva Ferrer, the former Alcocer aide whose accusations set off the current inquiry.

Ferrer says Alcocer and Grau came back from a Caracas trip with two suitcases holding US$2.5 million, which both reject. Alcocer has given prosecutors photos, videos and a timeline of the trip, and her lawyers say the handbag she carried was too small for such cargo.

Ferrer’s lawyer, Jhony Batalla Mena, said she will travel from Spain to Washington on Wednesday 28 October to give information to US authorities, including the State Department and the US drug agency DEA, Infobae reported. Alcocer’s defence says it will also present its own material to US authorities.

Ferrer gave a further statement to Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office on 23 October, which ended early at her request, and sources told Infobae she had not yet provided evidence against Alcocer. Her sworn statement resumes on 2 November.

The Abu Dhabi Trips and the BioNube Contract

El Tiempo says investigators are tracing Grau’s trips to Abu Dhabi and other emirates, some made with Alcocer, and see a link to a technology project called BioNube. The utility group ISA and its subsidiary Internexa have asked for an inquiry into a related contract worth about 630 billion Colombian pesos (about US$198 million at the official rate of 3,185.01 pesos per dollar on 23 October).

Former technology minister Yesenia Olaya told the paper Grau attended meetings through his seat on the board of Central de Inversiones, known as CISA. Former ambassador to the Emirates Luis Miguel Merlano says Alcocer’s visits were official, and that no authority has asked him about them.

The paper also says US agents have already asked Venezuelan officials how a company first tied to Danilo Romero, and later to Grau’s brother Gregorio, ended 2025 with two state oil production contracts in the Apure-Barinas basin. Alcocer has said Romero and his wife Carolina Plata are close friends and has denied any irregularity, and none of these claims has been proven.

What Prediction Markets Say

Polymarket gives 14% for Petro being charged in the US by 31 December 2026 (24 October, 3:15 a.m. ET). That contract has traded about US$11,400, and the wider Petro-charge market group, including earlier expired contracts, about US$101,200.

These prices are bets, not evidence, and we found no announced US charge against Petro. They say nothing about a fourth round of visa or sanctions measures.

Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

What It Means for You

For investors, former Ecopetrol chief Ricardo Roa is among the people now under US visa restriction, and Ecopetrol shares trade in New York. Further listings could touch officials, police or judges, which is why this is a risk story, not yet a market-moving one.

Travellers and residents in Colombia face no new rules, because the measures target named people and their families. Our guides Colombia’s Ex-President Gustavo Petro Explained and Colombia Politics Explained show who holds power now, and our Bogotá expat city guide covers daily life.

The earlier stories in this series are US Revokes Visas of Ex-Ecopetrol Chief Roa and US Notes Drug Claims Against Petro’s Ex-Wife. Our Colombia news page lists the latest developments.

What Is Not Known

The claim of further Colombia visa bans rests on one newspaper and unnamed sources, and neither the State Department nor the Treasury has confirmed it. No names of police officers or judges have been given, and we do not know whether sanctions, visa withdrawals or prosecutions would come first.

The sources disagree on the date of the Caracas trip, which Infobae places on 31 January 2023 and El Tiempo on 31 January 2025, so we state no date. El Tiempo counts nine named Colombians who lost visas in two rounds, while the State Department says 21 are covered in the latest round alone and names seven.

We also do not know which US agency Ferrer will meet on 28 October, since her lawyer named both the State Department and the DEA. Alcocer, Grau, Guerrero and Petro deny or have not answered the allegations in the sources we read.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fourth phase of US measures on Colombia?

It is El Tiempo’s label for a possible next round of visa withdrawals, sanctions listings or referrals to prosecutors. Nothing has been announced, and the paper relies on unnamed sources in Washington.

Who has already lost a US visa in Colombia?

The State Department named senator Martha Peralta and businessman Euclides Torres on 28 September, and seven people on 22 October, including Ricardo Roa. It says 21 people in Colombia are covered in the latest round.

Is Gustavo Petro still under US sanctions?

Yes, according to the Treasury listing of 24 October 2025 and Semana’s report of 7 October that he stayed on it. His wife at the time, his son and Armando Benedetti were listed too.

What is Eva Ferrer doing in Washington?

Her lawyer says she will travel on Wednesday 28 October to give information about Verónica Alcocer to US authorities. Alcocer denies the claims and says she will give US authorities her own material.

Does this affect travellers to Colombia?

No new travel rules follow from the Colombia visa bans, which target named people and their families. They govern entry to the United States, not trips to Colombia.

Sources: El Tiempo, 23 October 2026; US State Department, 22 October 2026; US Treasury, 24 October 2025; Semana, 7 October 2026; Infobae, 22 October 2026; Infobae, 23 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

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