Milei claims Argentina has ‘deported 30,000 terrorists’ under his watch

President Javier Milei surprised viewers of a television interview on Sunday night by claiming that Argentina had deported around 30,000 “terrorists” since the start of 2025.

Milei, 55, presented no evidence for the claim but said the country and his government had been targeted by foreigners seeking to “sabotage the Argentine model.”

“The 10,000 terrorists we threw out last year. Do you know how many we’ve thrown out this year?” Milei asked during a recording on La Cornisa, a programme broadcast by LN+.

When host Luis Majul asked him for the figure, the President replied: “This year we’ve already reached 20,000.”

Surprised by the number, Majul asked for further details. Milei responded: “They are people who infiltrate from other countries to come and try to sabotage the Argentine model.”

In another part of the exchange, the President linked the alleged activity to financial attacks against Argentina, saying: “In other words, let’s say they hit us with a US$70-billion run” on the currency.

The striking claim drew attention in both the media and political circles.

National deputy Maximiliano Ferraro (Coalición Cívica) said on Monday that he had submitted a formal public information request, as well as a separate request for an official response from the National Security Ministry and the National Directorate of Migration.

Ferraro asked the government to provide details of how many people had actually been expelled from the country, how many had been expelled on grounds linked to terrorism, how many faced criminal charges or had been convicted, and how many were listed on the Public Registry of Persons and Entities Linked to Acts of Terrorism and its Financing (RePET).

“We are talking about more than 27 a day in 2025 and almost 74 a day in 2026,” the lawmaker said in a post on social media, arguing that a claim of such magnitude requires documentary evidence.

Ferraro also asked the Government to state, in each case, whether the designation as a terrorist had been made under RePET or migration regulations, and what specific information supported that characterisation.

His request also seeks to establish whether there are records of foreigners who entered the country in order to “sabotage the Argentine model,” as Milei claimed, and what complaints had been filed in connection with such cases.

Argentina’s Migration Law lists participation in acts of terrorism among the grounds that can prevent foreigners from entering or remaining in the country, alongside other grounds established by law. 

RePET, meanwhile, compiles information on people and entities linked to acts of terrorism and their financing.

– TIMES/PERFIL