07/30/26 06:26:00
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07/30 18:25 CDT Milei empowers Argentina to bar or deport foreigners over
hateful remarks about the country
Milei empowers Argentina to bar or deport foreigners over hateful remarks about
the country
By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) --- After a bruising World Cup defeat gave way to
what many Argentines saw as a sweeping wave of hatred against their country,
Argentine President Javier Milei on Thursday signed an emergency decree
empowering the government to deny entry to or expel foreigners who incite
discrimination or violence against Argentines because of their nationality.
Milei's office cast the decree as a response to weeks of criticism from
celebrities, opposing fans and social media users after controversial
refereeing decisions fueled speculation that FIFA had tilted the soccer
tournament in favor of the Argentina team and superstar Lionel Messi.
Detractors directed their anger about occasionally aggressive Argentine fans
and the team's roughhousing on the pitch not only at players but increasingly
at Argentine society as a whole.
The measure adds new grounds to Argentina's immigration law, allowing
authorities to bar, deport and revoke visas of people found to have promoted
hatred against Argentines in spoken or written statements or who have
desecrated national symbols.
"In light of recent displays of hostility toward the Argentine Republic and
Argentines, the national government reaffirms that the defense of the nation,
its citizens and its symbols is non-negotiable," the president's office said.
"Anyone who attacks the Argentine Republic is not welcome in our country."
It's a shift for a country that has long prided itself on welcoming immigrants.
Argentina's Constitution explicitly encourages immigration, and for decades the
country has offered foreigners broad civil rights and relatively easy access to
legal residency, public education and health care.
Milei, however, has introduced tougher immigration measures that have raised
the bar for permanent residency and expanded government powers to deport
foreigners accused of crimes, often publicizing the moves with rhetoric similar
to that of the Trump administration.
The widespread scorn for Argentina has played on long-standing stereotypes,
particularly in Latin America, that Argentines view themselves as culturally
and economically superior to their neighbors, in part due to the large share of
the population descended from European immigrants. The backlash intensified
when Argentina players and staff attacked their Spanish opponents in a
post-match brawl after the World Cup final. Online petitions to expel Argentina
from the World Cup drew hundreds of thousands of signatures.
FIFA, global soccer's governing body, on Wednesday opened disciplinary
proceedings against the Argentine Football Association over the scuffle, as
well as over alleged racist abuse and fan misconduct. Players also faced a FIFA
investigation into their parading of a banner that asserted Argentina's claim
to the British-controlled Falkland Islands after the team's semifinal victory
over England.
Milei, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has described the torrent
of criticism as a coordinated "anti-Argentina campaign." He alleged without
evidence last week that the left-wing governments of Brazil and Mexico and the
U.S. Democratic Party had financed the campaign to undermine his right-wing
libertarian administration. That helped trigger a diplomatic crisis with
neighboring Brazil, which recalled its ambassador to Argentina over the
accusations and Milei's insults against Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da
Silva.
Thursday's decree says the punishments don't apply to ideological disagreement
or political, academic or civic criticism protected under Argentina's
Constitution.
But it leaves unanswered how officials will distinguish protected speech from
prohibited hate speech, whether immigration authorities will review foreigners'
social media activity and how aggressively the new powers will be enforced
against tourists and longtime residents.
"Who and how will apply those grounds? How will it be determined that a person
has engaged in such ambiguous assumptions as a 'hate message' toward the
country or our population?" asked Maximiliano Ferraro, an opposition lawmaker,
criticizing the decree as an unnecessary political gimmick.
"While the government wraps itself in Argentina's sky-blue-and-white national
colors for publicity, many of the policies it promotes are little more than
exclusionary nationalist theater."
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