Ada Colau, former mayor of Barcelona and current candidate for president of the government of Spain, was denied a US visa to visit Puerto Rico, even though every member of her team was granted one. Despite the denial, Liga de Ciudades founder and executive director Cristina Miranda said Colau will take part in the Ciudades Valientes event on November 3 and 4.
In a phone interview with El Nuevo Día, Miranda said talks between the nonprofit and Colau’s team "have not stopped" and that "one way or another, Ada will be present," though she declined to detail how, telling readers to attend Ciudades Valientes to find out. When Colau visited the US Embassy in Madrid, she was asked about her participation in a 2025 humanitarian aid flotilla that sailed toward the Gaza Strip.
Miranda called the US State Department’s expressions further evidence of Puerto Rico’s "colonial reality" and "a symptom of a bigger problem," saying the episode reopened the conversation about colonialism. Ciudades Valientes will be held at the Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day, covering planning, innovation, and the work and importance of municipalities and their citizens.