Argentina's Peronist opposition on Monday criticised a visit by US lawmakers to the country’s southernmost city of Ushuaia, seeing it as a sign of Washington's potential geostrategic interest in the region.
The unannounced arrival of a US government aircraft in the capital of Tierra del Fuego Province fuelled reports that President Javier Milei, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, is seeking to establish a joint naval base in the area with the United States.
Ushuaia is a major tourist hub but also of strategic importance, due to its proximity to the Antarctic.
The delegation's arrival came just three days after the Milei government intervened in the Port of Ushuaia, placing it under trusteeship, removing the local authorities and dismissing dozens of workers.
The US Embassy in Buenos Aires confirmed the plane was carrying a bipartisan delegation from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, but did not name the members.
According to local media, the Congress members travelled to the city in Patagonia region on a US Air Force Boeing C-40 Clipper.
The aircraft reportedly departed from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and made stops in Puerto Rico and Buenos Aires before touching down in Argentina’s south.
The mission “includes meetings with government officials and key stakeholders to address the degradation of natural environments, permitting processes for the management of mines and waste, the processing of critical minerals, public health research and medical security,” the US Embassy said.
Emiliano Fossatto, legal secretary of Tierra del Fuego Province, which is governed by the Peronist opposition, told the Radio 10 station that the visit generated substantial "uncertainty" and that there had been no prior or subsequent communication with local authorities.
"The geolocation of the Port of Ushuaia is significant; it's the gateway to Antarctica... a commercial and tourist waterway, so there may certainly be other motives" behind the visit, Fossatto speculated.
Peronist Senator Cristina López, another opponent of Milei, demanded explanations from the government over the delegation's arrival in a post on X.
"Tierra del Fuego is not a foreign military base," she declared.
The opposition lawmaker directly linked the visit to the theory of the creation of a joint Argentina-US naval base.
Milei, in power since December 2023, has already received two heads of the US Southern Command in Ushuaia: Laura Richardson in 2024 and Alvin Holsey last year.
Both visited the Integrated Naval Base project, which Argentina has been building since 2022.
Argentina says the Ushuaia base will “centralise Antarctic logistics and maritime traffic control.” Although the project is far from completion due to a lack of funds, it has aroused Washington's recurring interest.
However, Milei's government has denied that Washington is involved in the conception of the base and rebuffed claims it would be jointly operated.
Richardson also visited Argentina during the presidency of Milei's predecessor, Alberto Fernández.
– TIMES/AFP/PERFIL
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