Argentina bans entry of Venezuelans with ties to Maduro administration

Chief of Staff Manuel Adorni announced new immigration restrictions targeting Venezuelan nationals associated with Maduro’s regime in the aftermath of the United States military intervention in Venezuela and capture of President Nicolás Maduro. The restrictions, set to be implemented by the National Migration Office, will affect government officials, military personnel, business owners linked to “the regime,” and those who have been “sanctioned by the United States, among others.” “Thanks to this decision, Maduro’s accomplices who try to find refuge abroad will not be able to enter our country,” Adorni tweeted.  La República Argentina ha adoptado nuevas restricciones migratorias en virtud de la captura del dictador Nicolás Maduro.La Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, en un trabajo conjunto con otros organismos del Estado Nacional, ha establecido restricciones para el ingreso al país de…— Manuel Adorni (@madorni) January 3, 2026 He did not offer information about how such individuals would be identified or how these categories would be defined. Argentina’s stance President Javier Milei was one of the few world leaders who expressed support for the actions the United States carried out Saturday morning in Venezuela.  Shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that the military operation had been completed, the Argentine president posted “FREEDOM ADVANCES. LONG LIVE FREEDOM, DAMN IT!” Argentina’s Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno also welcomed the U.S. strike and the capture of Maduro. In a lengthy post on X, he called the ousted Venezuelan president the “leader of the Cartel de los Soles,” a supposed drug gang that the Trump administration claims is led by the Venezuelan government.  Many experts believe it doesn’t formally exist, but rather is a name Venezuelans use to describe corrupt military officers who deal drugs. Quirno added that Argentina hoped the events would bring “decisive progress against the narcoterrorism affecting the region” and bring “democracy, the reign of law and respect for human rights” to the Venezuelan people. The foreign minister was one of the first senior figures in the international community to voice the opinion that the entire Maduro administration should be ousted and that the opposition should take power. Maduro claimed victory in Venezuela’s last presidential elections in July 2024, but never provided proof, leading to widespread allegations of fraud.  Quirno said that Edmundo González Urrutia, the candidate whom the Venezuelan opposition’s unofficial count declared winner, be declared president. He also made a point of voicing his support for recent Nobel Peace Prize winner Marina Corina Machado, for her “defense of democracy and freedom in Venezuela.” The pro-Machado camp took a hit as Trump refused to back her as the country’s next leader in a press conference he gave explaining the details of the operation. “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader she doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country,” he said.  “She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.”