Arya News - The Argentine government is moving ahead with design of a new migration security agencywith greater operational autonomy and expanded powrts.
Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The Argentine government is moving ahead with design of a new migration security agency that seeks to transform the current migration control system into a structure with greater operational autonomy and expanded powers.
National Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva said Wednesday that her ministry is advancing the project as "a structure with police powers, criminal intelligence and an effective presence at every border."
Local media have described the initiative as an "Argentine ICE," in reference to the U.S. model, although officials have sought to differentiate its design and scope.
Monteoliva "distanced" herself from the U.S. mode of operation, saying the agency"s work will not involve the "persecution of migrants."
"Those who should be worried here are those who commit crimes: murderers, rapists and terrorists," she said in an interview on Radio Mitre .
Although the ruling coalition rejects the parallel between Argentina"s migration agency and ICE, the local outlet Perfil reported that some leaders acknowledge the association is automatic.
They say U.S. President Donald Trump"s anti-immigration rhetoric has resonated for some time within La Libertad Avanza, the political bloc of President Javier Milei, which in 2025 pushed for changes to the Migration Law.
In November, the executive branch decided to transfer the National Directorate of Migration from the Interior Ministry to the Security Ministry, and announced creation of the agency, which is only now beginning to take shape.
Although the new migration agency has not yet been formalized by decree, the Argentine government has already outlined what its main functions will be.
The new body, which will fall under the Security Ministry, is to focus primarily on border control and migration flows, with an explicit emphasis on security and internal order, in contrast to the administrative profile that historically characterized the National Directorate of Migration, El Cronista reported.
According to official information and statements from authorities, the agency will not only oversee the entry and exit of people from the country, but also will have power to combat organized crime linked to illegal migration.
Its planned tasks include intensifying the deportation of foreigners who commit crimes, as well as participating in joint operations with federal forces, a role that until now was beyond the operational scope of the law.
Another key aspect will be the unification of tasks that have so far been fragmented among different agencies.
Official sources explained that the goal is to integrate migration control and border security, avoiding overlaps between civilian personnel and police forces, as currently occurs at airports and international crossings.
Under that framework, the agency would be the enforcement authority for migration law and would have expanded powers to intervene directly in operations.
In 2025, the executive branch announced other reforms to Argentina"s migration regime, including stricter requirements to obtain residency, an end to free medical care for foreigners in public hospitals and introduction of a fee for nonresident foreign students.