The US Department of State defended its decision to deny a visa to Ada Colau, former mayor of Barcelona and leader of Spain’s Frente Amplio, who had requested one to attend the Ciudades Valientes event organized by the League of Cities in Puerto Rico on November 3 and 4. A State Department spokesperson said Wednesday that under President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the department 'prioritizes US interests in the visa process’, adding that each visa application is evaluated individually after rigorous review to determine whether the person meets US legal requirements.
The spokesperson cited Rubio’s statement that 'a US visa is a privilege, not a right', and said the department described the humanitarian flotilla to Gaza, in which Colau participated, as 'a pro-Hamas initiative and an unfounded and counterproductive effort to undermine President Trump’s peace plan'. Colau, a Frente Amplio candidate for Spanish prime minister, said in a Telegram message reported by El País that Trump’s freedom is 'curious’ because he decides the fate of Puerto Rico’s citizens without respecting their sovereignty and bars those who participated in the flotilla.
She also contrasted her case with Argentine President Javier Milei’s trip to Spain this week and vowed to return to Puerto Rico.