Argentina Bans Brazilian Journalist for 5 Years
BRAZIL · PRESS FREEDOM
Key Facts
- —The country Brazil is Latin America’s largest country and economy, and it votes in a presidential runoff on Sunday 25 October.
- —What happened On Monday 12 October, Argentina refused entry to Brazilian journalist Rogério Tomaz Jr. at Buenos Aires’ city airport and sent him back to Brazil.
- —The official reason Argentina’s migration agency says he spent only 153 days in the country since receiving permanent residency in January 2022.
- —The penalty His permanent residency was cancelled and he is barred from entering Argentina for five years, according to the order published by Infobae.
- —Why it matters The journalist had called President Javier Milei a “degenerate psychopath” on 2 October; he says the expulsion is political, which the government denies.
- —Still open He says he will appeal from abroad, and no statement from Brazil’s Foreign Ministry had been reported by Monday night.
Argentina has expelled a Brazilian journalist who openly attacked President Javier Milei, cancelling his residency and barring him for five years. The Brazilian journalist, Rogério Tomaz Jr., was stopped on Monday 12 October at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires and flown back to Brazil.
Milei, a libertarian and one of US President Donald Trump’s closest allies in the region, faces a press-freedom question with this case. It also comes while Brazil keeps its ties with Argentina at the level of junior diplomats, 12 days before Brazilians choose their next president.
What Argentina Says It Did
The decision came from Argentina’s National Migration Directorate, known as DNM, which reports to the Security Ministry. Officials told La Nación that the Brazilian journalist had spent only 153 days in Argentina since receiving permanent residency on 20 January 2022.
That residency was granted under Milei’s predecessor, the centre-left Peronist Alberto Fernández. Officials also said Tomaz had no proven job, studies or family ties in the country and did not live at the address he had declared.
Infobae quoted the order itself, which cancels his permanent residency and bans his entry “for the term of five (5) years”. The order cites Argentina’s migration law, Law 25,871, as amended by a decree that tightened the rules in May 2025.
According to Infobae and La Posta Diario, the order is dated 5 August but was only served on Tomaz when he landed on Monday. Migration spokespeople told the agency Noticias Argentinas that the move had nothing to do with his opinions.
Who Rogério Tomaz Jr. Is and What He Wrote
The Brazilian journalist describes himself as a freelancer and openly supports the Workers’ Party, the left-wing party of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Before Brazil’s first round on 4 October, he gave interviews to Página/12 and El Destape, two outlets close to Argentina’s Peronist opposition.
On 2 October he wrote on X that Lula loves Argentina more than “the degenerate psychopath” who governs it, according to La Nación and Infobae. His clashes with government accounts on social media go back to July.
On Monday he wrote on X that he was being deported because of his political criticism, Brasil 247 reported. He later posted a photo from São Paulo’s Guarulhos airport on his way to Brasília.
Milei’s Team Celebrates Online
Santiago Caputo, a close political adviser to Milei, mocked the journalist on X with “Te falló el operativo, campeón” (Your operation failed, champ). He attached a picture of Tomaz with Lula, Perfil and La Nación reported.
Juan Carreira, head of the Presidential Response Office, the government’s social media rebuttal unit, also celebrated online. La Nación quoted his post as “One leftist less in Argentina, today we celebrate.”
Brazil’s embassy in Buenos Aires told La Nación the case was a consular matter. It did not link it to the political dispute between the two governments.
A Case Inside a Wider Brazil and Argentina Feud
Relations were already at a low point before Monday. On 4 August, Itamaraty, Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, told Argentina’s ambassador he could go home and kept its own envoy in Brazil, Jornal de Brasília reported.
Brazil acted after Milei called Lula a “thief and convict” at the São Paulo launch of Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign, the paper said. Milei had flown in to back Flávio, a conservative senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, now Lula’s runoff rival.
Since then, Brazil has dealt with Argentina through lower-ranking diplomats called chargés d’affaires. Argentina’s Foreign Ministry replied at the time that it never answers a political disagreement with an institutional measure.
What It Means for You
For Americans who hold Argentine residency, the grounds used against the Brazilian journalist are not specific to Brazilians. Little time in the country, no verifiable work or study and a declared address he did not live at were the grounds Argentina gave.
Anyone who keeps an Argentine residency while living mostly abroad should check that their declared address and paperwork are current. For investors and press-freedom groups in the United States, the case is a test of how Milei‘s government treats foreign critics.
What Is Not Known
Argentina has not issued a public statement on the case beyond the order quoted by Infobae and comments from unnamed officials. It is not known whether other foreign residents are under similar review.
No statement from Brazil’s Foreign Ministry had been reported by Monday night, and it is unclear whether press-freedom groups will take up the case. Tomaz says he will appeal from abroad, and no timetable for a ruling has been given.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Argentina expel the Brazilian journalist?
Argentina’s migration agency says Rogério Tomaz Jr. spent only 153 days in the country since 2022 and did not live at his declared address. He says the real reason is his criticism of President Javier Milei.
Can Rogério Tomaz Jr. return to Argentina?
Not for five years unless an appeal succeeds. The Brazilian journalist can appeal only from abroad and says he wants at least the right to visit as a tourist.
How has Brazil reacted?
Brazil’s embassy in Buenos Aires called it a consular matter, La Nación reported. No statement from Brazil’s Foreign Ministry on the case had been reported by Monday night.
Does this affect Americans living in Argentina?
The rules apply to all foreign residents. Americans with Argentine permanent residency who spend little time in the country should keep their address and records up to date.
Sources: Infobae, 12 October 2026; La Nación, 12 October 2026; Perfil, 12 October 2026; La Posta Diario, 12 October 2026; Brasil 247, 12 October 2026; Jornal de Brasília, 4 August 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief