President Donald Trump warned that any country producing and selling drugs into the U.S. could be “subject to attack,” specifically calling out Colombia, prompting an immediate and strong rejection from Bogota, as per Newsweek. Colombian President Gustavo Petro didn’t just issue a formal diplomatic response, though. He went straight to X and gave President Trump a genuinely bizarre invitation.

Petro said, “Come to Colombia, Mr. Trump, I invite you, so that you can participate in the destruction of the 9 laboratories we do daily to prevent cocaine from reaching the US.” Earlier during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, President Trump told reporters that any country involved in the drug trade was at risk. The president mentioned that if drugs come through a certain country, or if the U.S. thinks they are building “mills for, whether it’s fentanyl or cocaine,” they are “subject to attack.”

He specifically cited Colombia, stating, “I hear the country of Colombia is making cocaine, they have cocaine manufacturing plants.” The Colombian Foreign Ministry swiftly pushed back, stating that they reject “Any threat of external aggression that violates the dignity, integrity of the territory and sovereignty of the Colombian people.” The ministry also stressed that Colombia “continues with its unwavering commitment to the fight against drug trafficking.”

Colombia made an urgent call for fraternity between Latin America and the Caribbean to ensure unity prevails against any external intervention

This latest threat comes amid mounting tensions between the U.S. and several South American nations. The Trump administration has been contemplating military strikes in Venezuela, and both Venezuela and Colombia have condemned U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The White House claims these are necessary routes for drug trafficking.

Bogota has been especially vocal in its opposition to these U.S. boat strikes, which the White House defends as lawful operations targeting “narco-terrorists.” Unfortunately, these operations have resulted in significant casualties. Since early September, these lethal operations against suspected non-state vessels have allegedly killed more than 80 people.

President Gustavo Petro to President Mr. Donald Trump:

"Come to Colombia, Mr. Trump, I invite you, so you can participate in the destruction of the nine drug labs we destroy daily to prevent cocaine from reaching the US.

Without missiles, I have destroyed 18,400 drug labs… pic.twitter.com/WLv2KHGNGW

— Duke Of Nigeria. (@xagreat) December 3, 2025

These strikes have raised serious concerns about accountability and human rights. Lawmakers are currently reviewing reports that said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth verbally ordered a second strike on an alleged drug smuggling vessel back in September, reportedly to kill survivors. Critics are pointing out that this action could amount to a war crime.

The situation is complicated because Colombia is, undeniably, one of the world’s largest producers of cocaine. While the country has historically cooperated with the U.S. on counter-narcotics efforts, that relationship has deteriorated sharply. In September, Colombia was listed as a country failing to cooperate in U.S. anti-drug efforts for the first time in nearly 30 years. Following that, the Trump administration imposed sweeping sanctions against President Petro, his family, and a top Cabinet member, accusing them of aiding the global drug trade.

In November, President Petro ceased intelligence cooperation with the U.S. and condemned attacks on suspected drug-running boats that resulted in the deaths of Colombian nationals. The Trump administration is expected to continue its controversial strikes, though what specific military action may be taken against Colombia and Venezuela remains unclear.

The family of a Colombian fisherman, Alejandro Carranza, has filed what is believed to be the first formal complaint against US strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), according to CNN. This isn’t just a quiet protest, either; the petition names US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as the perpetrator of the alleged killing.

The petition, filed by US human rights attorney Dan Kovalik, alleges that Carranza was killed when the US struck his boat off the coast of Colombia on September 15. The core of the complaint is that the United States carried out an extrajudicial killing that fundamentally violated Carranza’s human rights. The complaint states that Hegseth “was responsible for ordering the bombing of boats like those of Alejandro Carranza Medina and the murder of all those on such boats.” It also claims that President Donald Trump ratified Hegseth’s conduct.

The US has a very different story about what happened on September 15. President Trump claimed the strike had successfully killed three “narcoterrorists from Venezuela” who were transporting drugs to the United States. However, attorney Kovalik and Colombian President Gustavo Petro push back hard on that narrative. Kovalik says Carranza was a Colombian citizen who was simply out fishing for marlin and tuna, emphasizing that fishing was his “profession and his vocation.”

Hegseth’s worries deepen as the US Defense Secretary finds himself cornered from all directions

President Petro previously insisted Carranza was a lifelong fisherman with zero ties to the drug trade. Petro even noted that Carranza’s boat was displaying a distress signal because of engine damage. However, the Colombian president later made a critical concession, suggesting Carranza might have accepted money to carry prohibited goods due to his difficult financial situation. Even so, Petro was clear that even if that were true, “never did his actions deserve the death penalty.”

BREAKING: Colombian family files first known formal complaint over deadly US strike in Caribbean

I hope this is first of many!!! https://t.co/bbvWVUwZKa

— Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) December 3, 2025

President Petro announced Monday that Kovalik had launched a “judicial defense” for the family. Petro also said his country must convene a commission of Colombian lawyers to investigate what he considered “crimes” happening in the Caribbean. Kovalik told CNN they are seeking compensation for Carranza’s wife and kids, but more importantly, they want these types of killings to stop. Kovalik is arguing that these strikes violate both international law and US law.

This action comes after the US has seriously ramped up its efforts in the region. Since early September, the US has executed at least 22 strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats across the Caribbean and the Pacific, resulting in the deaths of at least 83 people. The White House has repeatedly tried to justify these actions by claiming the boats were carrying individuals linked to cartels that are engaged in an armed conflict with the US.

While Pete Hegseth has doubled down on his support for the Navy, that narrative is facing a lot of scrutiny even inside the US.