On Wednesday, President Javier Milei of Argentina signed a decree that bans and deports any foreigner found guilty of promoting, supporting, or inciting any messages of discrimination or violence against Argentines based on nationality. The Office of the President of Argentina reaffirmed this week that the defense of the nation, its people, and its symbols is “non-negotiable,” and that any non-citizen who disrespects one or all three is not welcome in the country. President Milei issued a Necessity and Urgency Decree (DNU) to enact the new law. However, a DNU, the Argentine equivalent of an executive order, is always sent to Congress for review, where it can be ratified or rejected. Currently, President Milei’s party, Liberty Advances (La Libertad Avanza), controls the presidency of the Senate and the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies; however, the opposition party, the left-wing Peronist Homeland Force (Fuerza Patria), controls a razor-thin majority of seats.
President Milei’s government went public this week with accusations that the left-wing governments of Brazil and Mexico, along with the U.S. Democratic Party, are engaged in an “anti-Argentina” conspiracy designed to damage the current right-wing government ahead of the 2027 elections. Increased vitriol against Argentina also stems from the recent 2026 World Cup, where the defending 2022 champions faced off against Spain in the finals, ultimately losing 1-0.
President Milei made his feelings plenty clear this past Saturday during a speech he gave at the national convention for Brazil’s Liberal Party. President Milei not only accused Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of being a “convict” and “socialist trash,” but he further reiterated that Lula’s São Paulo Forum, which he co-created alongside former Cuban communist dictator Fidel Castro, continues to meddle in Argentina’s internal affairs. President Milei endorsed the Liberal Party’s Flávio Bolsonaro for president during his rousing speech. Flávio Bolsonaro is the oldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who received a 27-year sentence in September 2025 after being convicted by the Brazilian Supreme Court for plotting a coup following his 2022 election loss. Mr. Bolsonaro is currently under house arrest due to a series of significant health problems stemming from an assignation attempt where a mentally unstable man stabbed Bolsonaro in the stomach while on the campaign trail in 2018. President Milei tried to visit the ailing conservative icon; however, the controversial Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes blocked the Argentine leader’s request.
President Milei’s decree falls into line with the general rightward shift in Latin American politics since Donald Trump’s election in 2024. Milei, who became the 58th president of Argentina in 2023, is one of the more vociferous defenders of capitalism and American foreign policy south of the Rio Grande. Colombia’s incoming president, Abelardo de la Espriella, appears poised to follow in President Milei’s footsteps, having already announced that his government will officially cut ties with Cuba and Nicaragua. Other right-wing, pro-American administrations, from El Salvador to Honduras, Panama, and Chile, have likewise announced that a new age of anti-communist politics will be the norm in the Western Hemisphere.
As of this writing, the only remaining left-wing governments in Latin America include Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Cuba, and Nicaragua, where socialist dictator Daniel Ortega recently canceled all future elections.
