Published 04/01/2026 18:19 | Edited 04/01/2026 18:53
The arrival of Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila in Buenos Aires, on Tuesday, revealed yet another trace of the authoritarianism that reigns in Casa Rosada. Director of Global Sumud Flotilla and defender of the Palestinian cause, Ávila disembarked at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery accompanied by his wife, Lara Souza, and daughter, to participate in solidarity events with the Gaza Strip.
However, while the family’s entry was authorized, the activist was detained by Argentine immigration authorities. According to reports he published on social media, police officers informed him that entry would not be permitted, claiming that he was “not welcome” and that the measure was a “decision at the highest level”.
The retention was marked by interrogations focused on the Brazilian’s political activities. In the post recorded by Ávila this Wednesday (1st), after the deportation, he detailed the approach he suffered in the immigration room.
According to the activist, the agents mentioned that there was an international alert for his name and questioned him about the content of the press conference he would hold in the country. “I said: ‘I’m going to talk about the humanitarian mission that we’re going to carry out in Gaza, I’m going to talk about the role of the Milei government as an accomplice in this genocide’,” said Ávila. According to him, the authorities’ response was immediate, reinforcing that the ban on speaking in Argentine territory was an “irreversible” decision.
Argentine parliamentarians criticize Milei’s order
The action by Javier Milei’s government generated a strong reaction among Argentine left-wing parliamentarians, who followed the case at the airport. National deputy Myriam Bregman, from Izquierda Socialista, Frente de Esquerda e dos Trabalhadores (FIT Unidad) for the City of Buenos Aires, used her social networks to denounce that the police explicitly stated that the Brazilian could not speak out publicly. In the same sense, Buenos Aires deputy Celeste Fierro, from the MST (FIT Unidad), highlighted that the impediment came directly from the Ministry of Security and the National Executive. “They won’t let him join precisely because he defends the Palestinian cause”, pointed out Fierro, who interceded so that Thiago could at least say goodbye to his family before being sent to Ezeiza, from where he went on to Barcelona.
The political motivation of the act was reaffirmed by the Argentine delegation of Global Sumud Flotilla. In an official statement, the group highlighted that the authorities made it clear that the veto was not due to administrative obstacles, but due to a political directive from higher levels of government. Ezequiel Peressini, member of the delegation and former provincial deputy of Córdoba, classified the episode as an “anti-democratic maneuver” against defenders of the rights of the Palestinian people.
Despite the absence of official statements from the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones or Itamaraty until late afternoon today, reports collected on site indicate that the geopolitical alignment of the Milei administration with Israel was the backdrop to the expulsion.
Even with the deportation of its main leader, the flotilla’s launching activities in Argentina continued. Lara Souza, Thiago’s wife, participated in the press conference where she reiterated the report of the police approach.
For Thiago Ávila, the episode highlights the authoritarian nature of the current Argentine administration. “Javier Milei is a puppet of the USA, he is a fascist who is proud to be a dog of Trump and Netanyahu and accepts the most horrible violations of Zionism”, declared the activist, who is now heading to Europe to continue the humanitarian mission towards Gaza.
Source: vermelho.org.br
