Argentina orders immigration crackdown with new decree to 'make Argentina great again'

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina's right-wing President Javier Milei issued a decree on Wednesday curbing immigration to the South American nation, a move coinciding with the immigration restrictions put in place by the Trump administration.

Milei's abrupt measures and declaration that newcomers were bringing ''chaos and abuse'' to Argentina — a country built by millions of immigrants that has long prided itself on its openness — drew criticism from his political opponents and prompted comparisons to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Milei's government welcomed those comparisons to its close American ally, with presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni saying it was ''time to honor our history and make Argentina great again."

Wednesday's executive order tightens restrictions on citizenship, requiring immigrants to spend two uninterrupted years in Argentina or make a significant financial investment in the country to secure an Argentine passport.

Immigrants seeking permanent residency must show proof of income or ''sufficient means'' and have clean criminal records in their home countries.

The decree makes it much easier for the government to deport migrants who enter the country illegally, falsify their immigration documents or commit minor crimes in Argentina. Previously, authorities could only expel or deny entry to a foreigner with a conviction of more than three years.

It also asks the judiciary to fast-track otherwise lengthy immigration court proceedings.

''For some time now, we've had regulations that invite chaos and abuse by many opportunists who are far from coming to this country in an honest way,'' Adorni told reporters.

The presidential spokesperson is also the top candidate for Milei's La Libertad Avanza party in the key Buenos Aires legislative elections on Sunday. Their hard-right bloc is trying to win over conservative voters from Argentina's center-right in the high-stakes midterm-election year.

That timing fueled criticism, especially as the country has seen no recent surge of migration.

Argentina's most recent national census, from 2022, showed that the nation of 46 million had just 1.93 million foreign residents — the lowest share of immigrants since record-keeping began in 1869.

''Once again, politicizing migration for electoral purposes and distorting reality,'' Pablo Ceriani Cernadas, vice president of a U.N. committee that protects the rights of migrants, wrote on social media.

In a big shift, the new decree also charges foreigners to access Argentina's public health care and education while mandating that all travelers to the country hold health insurance. Adorni claimed that public hospitals had spent some $100 million on treating foreigners last year, without offering evidence.

''This measure aims to guarantee the sustainability of the public health system, so that it ceases to be a profit center financed by our citizens,'' he said.

Despite bouts of xenophobia in moments of political turmoil, immigration is rarely a matter of debate in Argentina, a nation largely developed by waves of European immigrants in the 19th century. In more recent years the country has welcomed foreigners across the region, the Arab world, Asia and, lately, Russia, offering newcomers a path to citizenship and ensuring their free access the nation's extensive and decent public education and health systems.

Public universities and hospitals are now buckling under Milei's sharp spending cuts as he seeks to reverse years of massive budget deficits. Adorni said the decree allows universities to introduce fees for foreign students.

Right-wing politicians long have railed against what Adorni described Wednesday as ''health tours,'' in which patients hop over the border and get treatment before returning home.

Already, several northern provinces and the city of Buenos Aires have started charging non-resident foreigners to access health care.