Argentine President Milei and US President Trump [Reuters Yonhap News]

Amidst recent reports by the US daily New York Times (NYT) that the US government is in negotiations with Argentina for an agreement allowing the expulsion and acceptance of migrants from third countries, controversy is escalating within Argentina.

On January 30th (local time), NYT reported, citing US government officials and internal documents, that the US and Argentina have been in talks since January of last year regarding a "third-country deportation agreement," and that the discussions have recently entered a concrete phase.

According to the report, the agreement's core provision is the transfer of third-country migrants apprehended while staying illegally in the US to Argentina, with Argentina then providing the flights for their repatriation.

This is being discussed as part of a comprehensive package of diplomatic negotiations between the Donald Trump administration and the Javier Milei administration in Argentina, according to anonymous US government sources.

NYT reported, based on US government documents, that Juan Navarro, acting Deputy Foreign Minister for Argentina's foreign policy, presented a proposal for the agreement earlier this month, and that Pablo Quirno, Argentina's Foreign Minister, had also conveyed his intention to sign the agreement to US authorities.

However, the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to comment on the ongoing negotiations, and the US Department of State has also not officially responded to related inquiries, NYT added.

As soon as these reports became known through the Argentine media, immediate backlash arose locally.

The Milei government had recently boasted about carrying out what it termed "the largest scale in history" of stringent immigration crackdowns, including deportations, entry denials, arrests, and repatriations targeting approximately 5,000 migrants over the past two months. However, criticism emerged even from within his supporter base, with questions like, "Why should Argentina accept illegal immigrants deported by the US?"

As the controversy spread, President Milei posted on his personal social media, calling the reports "fake news" and urging people not to be swayed by "the incitement of yellow journalism from left-wing media, both domestically and internationally."

Among experts, the prevailing view is that even if the agreement is being pursued, its feasibility in the short term is low.

Given the Argentine government's ongoing drastic budget cuts, significant financial burdens associated with accepting and transferring migrants, lack of relevant infrastructure, domestic public opposition, and potential conflicts with existing immigration restriction policies are cited as realistic obstacles.

If the agreement is actually signed, Argentina would follow in the footsteps of some South American countries, such as Paraguay and Ecuador, which have already entered into similar agreements with the US.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has increasingly relied on third-country deportation agreements as a means to fulfill its pledge of large-scale illegal immigrant deportations. These agreements are being utilized as mechanisms to deport migrants from countries with fragile diplomatic relations or where obtaining travel documents is difficult, making repatriation arduous.