President Javier Milei's government has issued an emergency decree authorising the expulsion or denial of entry to foreigners who incite hatred against Argentina.
The Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU), signed by President Milei and published shortly after midnight Wednesday, states that foreigners who "incite or disseminate messages of hatred, discrimination and/or violence against the Argentine people" or who "insult national symbols" may be barred from entering or removed from the country.
The measure was announced by the Office of the President of the Argentine Republic (OPRA) in response to what it described as "recent displays of hostility" towards the country.
It was co-signed by several Cabinet ministers.
"The Office of the President announces that President Javier G. Milei has signed a Decree of Necessity and Urgency establishing as grounds for denying entry to or expelling from the national territory any foreigner who directs or incites messages of hatred, discrimination and/or violence against the Argentine people or its citizens on the basis of their nationality, as well as anyone who insults national symbols," the decree states.
"In the face of recent expressions of hostility towards the Argentine Republic and Argentines, the National Government reaffirms that the defence of the nation, its citizens and its symbols is non-negotiable. Anyone who attacks the Argentine Republic is not welcome in our country," it continued.
The government did not specify particular incidents in the decree, but the references appear to relate to an alleged wave of anti-Argentina abuse that intensified during the recent FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, particularly on social media.
Congress must approve the validity of the measure, which remains in force while the legislative process is under way, though experts warned it could open the door to arbitrary enforcement.
"The decree is not clear and there is also uncertainty over how enforceable it is," said Lucía Galoppo, a lawyer with the international team at the Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) human rights group.
Galoppo noted that the decree "does not specify what constitutes hate speech, how such statements will be identified, what criteria will be used, or how authorities will determine who made them."
"All of that makes it difficult to enforce and leaves too much room for discretion, because it contains too many gaps that the State could fill using arbitrary criteria," she added.
Milei's DNU introduces a new restriction into one of the world's most immigrant-friendly constitutional frameworks.
Argentina's Constitution guarantees foreigners the same civil rights as citizens, guaranteeing equal access to healthcare, education and housing for residents, and explicitly encourages immigration, but the government argues the new measure is necessary to protect the country from acts of hatred and hostility directed at the nation and its people.
Milei, a self-proclaimed libertarian who says he defends free speech, last week accused the Brazilian government, as well as Mexico and the US Democratic Party, of financing an "anti-Argentina campaign."
The La Libertad Avanza leader made the remarks – an apparent reference to criticism directed at the country and its national football team during the 2026 World Cup over their sportsmanship – in an interview last weekend.
"Who put the most money into this anti-Argentina campaign? The Brazilian government. Twenty-five percent of the funding came from the Brazilian government," Milei told Radio Mitre,.
He provided no evidence for his claim.
Milei said that the campaign had also been "funded by Mexico, by the Democratic Party in the United States."
"Who are they? They are the progressive leaders who don't want the ideas of freedom to succeed," he added.
Without offering further evidence to support his allegations, the President said the alleged attacks were taking place because "if the economy prospers and people are better off, they have a huge problem."
"Milei is trying to turn this to his political advantage at a time when the economic outlook is not favourable for most of the population," analysed political scientist Iván Schuliaquer.
The President is "taking advantage of the current public mood to gain political capital from an issue that has generally not been part of his political project," said Schuliaquer, who teaches at the Universidad de San Martín.
Milei frequently uses insults and derogatory language in his speeches. He odten refers to the press as 'ensobrada' ("bought-off" or corrupt) and has described his political opponents as "mandrills," "filthy" and "mental parasites."
"It is contradictory that a government which argues freedom of expression should be absolute, and uses that to justify insults and threats on social media, should now claim that freedom of expression needs to be restricted," Schuliaquer argued.
– TIMES/AFP/NA
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