✈  SPECIAL REPORT  ✈

The U.S. military plane in Ushuaia: secrecy, sovereignty and the South Atlantic in dispute

A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-40 Clipper landed at the Malvinas Argentinas International Airport without an official statement, coinciding with the controversial intervention of the strategic port of Tierra del Fuego. The Argentine Navy found out through the media. The opposition demands explanations.

📰 The landing that no one announced

No official statement, no disseminated agenda, no explanations. That was the scenario surrounding the arrival of a U.S. military plane at Ushuaia's Malvinas Argentinas International Airport during the last weekend of January 2026. The aircraft, identified as a Boeing C-40 Clipper operated under the U.S. Air Mobility Command's RCH call code, landed shortly after 11 a.m. on Sunday, according to satellite trackers from civilian and military flights.

Just a day after landing, the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires confirmed that the aircraft was carrying a bipartisan delegation of members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. But the Argentine government remained silent.

🗺️ Why Ushuaia is not just any destination

The landing scenario is far from accidental. Ushuaia, capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands, is located almost 3,000 kilometers from Buenos Aires and is one of the most geopolitically sensitive points in the southern hemisphere. Its location makes it a gateway to Antarctica and a strategic passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

⚓  The port of Ushuaia mobilizes about 700 ships a year, including ships that supply Antarctic campaigns and international cargo vessels.

🏗️  The Argentine Navy's Integrated Naval Base has been under construction since 2022 in its vicinity, a project that has captured the explicit interest of the U.S. Southern Command.

🔬  Ushuaia operates as a scientific logistics center for expeditions to the South Pole and as a port of call terminal for intercontinental maritime routes.

💎  The Patagonian region is also home to critical mineral reserves and the Vaca Muerta formation, considered the world's second largest reserve of unconventional gas.

🪖 The context: port intervention and previous signals

The landing of the C-40 Clipper did not occur in a vacuum. Just three days earlier, on January 22, 2026 – the same day the aircraft took off from Joint Base Andrews – the national government ordered the administrative intervention of the Port of Ushuaia, displacing the Provincial Directorate of Ports that had administered it since 1992 and placing it under the orbit of the National Administration of Ports and Navigation (ANPyN).

The provincial government of Tierra del Fuego, headed by the opposition Gustavo Melella, rejected the measure and described it as an abuse of federalism and a violation of the National Constitution. In an official statement, the Fuegian authorities hinted at undeclared geopolitical motivations behind the national decision.

⚠️ The Argentine Navy found out through the media

One of the most resonant facts of the incident was revealed by La Política Online: the head of the Argentine Navy, Vice Admiral Juan Carlos Romay, learned of the arrival of the U.S. plane through the media, without having been previously notified by the national Executive Branch.

❗  Active military sources confirmed that the Argentine Armed Forces had no role in the arrival of the foreign aircraft.

🔐  The C-40 Clipper is considered an 'office in the sky': equipped with encrypted communications and areas for senior civilian and military commanders.

🌊  The aircraft operates under the U.S. Air Mobility Command (AMC), typically reserved for transporting high-ranking personnel.

🇺🇸 Washington's agenda and interest in the South Atlantic

The visit is not an isolated phenomenon. Since Javier Milei assumed the presidency in December 2023, Washington's interest in Argentina's extreme south has been manifested in a concrete way. In 2024, the then head of the Southern Command, General Laura Richardson, visited the Integrated Naval Base in Ushuaia. In September 2025, his successor, Admiral Alvin Holsey, repeated the visit accompanied by the embassy's chargé d'affaires, Abigail L. Dressel.

On both occasions, U.S. officials expressed concern about China's growing influence in the South Atlantic and Antarctica, a region where Beijing has systematically expanded its scientific and logistical presence. In this context, Milei authorized by decree the holding of joint military exercises and the entry of U.S. troops into Argentine territory.

The congressional delegation that transported the C-40 in January included representatives of the Energy and Commerce Committee. His stated agenda encompassed critical mineral processing, public health research, waste management and medical security — although no legislator was identified by name and there was no official exchange with the Argentine Congress or provincial authorities.

🏛️ The opposition demands answers

The arrival of the plane triggered chain reactions in the opposition political arc. From the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, legislators from different blocs presented requests for formal reports to the Executive Branch, demanding explanations about the identity of the passengers, the objectives of the mission and whether the arrival was coordinated from Buenos Aires.

📋  The opposition presented requests for a report due to the lack of notification to the Argentine Congress.

🗣️  Deputies from the UCR, the Frente de Todos and the Fuegian bloc agreed to describe the episode as a worrying precedent for national sovereignty.

🚫  The government did not publicly respond to journalistic inquiries about the episode during the days after landing.

📌 What does this episode mean?

Beyond the debate over whether there were formal irregularities, the incident exposes a deep tension in the foreign policy of the Milei administration: the strategic rapprochement with Washington, which the government presents as a natural alliance between free nations, generates internal fissures and conflicting readings in the Argentine armed forces themselves, in the provinces and in a large part of the opposition.

The question that remains floating over Ushuaia is not whether the plane landed – the satellite tracking data admits no doubt – but what the government negotiated in silence, what the intervention of the port implies in that context and what is the price of the strategic alliance with the United States in a territory where Argentine sovereignty is,  since 1833, a historically sensitive issue.

🔗 Sources: CNN en Español | Profile | Online Politics | BíoBíoChile | Page 12

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Prepaid medicine companies apply increases of 2.8% in February and have already reported increases of up to 3.2% for March. In a context of slowing inflation, the health sector continues to put pressure on the budgets of millions of Argentine families.

Sunday, February 22, 2026   ⏱ 5 min read

February began and those affiliated with private medicine already feel it in their pockets. The main prepaid health companies informed their users of an average increase  of 2.8% in this month's fees, an adjustment that also reaches co-payments. Without pause, a few hours into the month, the same companies already sent notifications for March: up to 3.2% more.

The cycle repeats itself with millimetric precision: the prepaid companies adjust their prices with two months of lag with respect to official inflation. Thus, February's increases reflect last December's price rise (2.8% according to INDEC), while March's increases take January's inflation (2.9%) as a reference. The formula, released since DNU 70 December 2023, turned monthly increases into a structural constant of the Argentine private health system.

📊 KEY FACTS

📅 FEBRUARY 2026

This month's adjustment: 2.8% across the board

As reported by the prepaid medicine companies to their affiliates, the February increase reaches 2.8% of the total value of the fee. The adjustment is part of the scheme of periodic updates that the providers have been implementing in line with the evolution of the system's operating costs.

Concrete impact: A fee of $100,000 in January went to $102,800 in February. A $300,000 plan went to $308,400. Added to this is the proportional increase in co-payments, making medical consultations, outpatient practices and studies that are not fully covered more expensive.

The increase has a special impact on retirees and families with fixed incomes, who allocate a growing portion of their income to maintaining private health coverage. Consumer associations warned that, even with moderate percentages, the monthly accumulation generates a significant effect on sustained access to coverage.

📈 MARCH 2026 — WHAT'S NEXT

Up to 3.2% more: companies have already notified

Just after the first half of February, the main prepaid medicine companies began to send notifications with the new tariff tables for March. The increases have already been officially uploaded to the digital system of the Superintendence of Health Services (SSS), which since July 2025 requires monthly reports differentiated by plan, age group and region of the country.

The scheme for the third month of the year shows that most large companies aligned themselves with inflation in January (2.9%), with the exception of Avalian, which will apply the highest increase in the sector: 3.2%.

🏥 TABLE OF INCREASES BY COMPANY — MARCH 2026

* OSDE applies a staggered scheme: between 2.4% and 2.9% depending on the type of plan and the region.

The companies justify the increase by arguing a sustained increase in the costs of the system: medical supplies, updating of professional fees, rents of facilities and outsourced services. In some cases, the update also applies to copays, depending on the health plan and the company.

💰 ECONOMIC CONTEXT

An item that does not rest even if inflation falls

The increase in prepaid does not happen in a vacuum. February arrived with a chain of increases that simultaneously put pressure on the family budget: collective (2.8% in CABA, 4.5% in the Province), rents (34.6% for contracts under the old law), AySA (+4%), telecommunications (2.8% to 3.5%) and energy.

In year-on-year terms, the cumulative increase in prepaid in Greater Buenos Aires already reaches 27.9%, while at the national level the average reaches 28.2%. Official inflation in the last twelve months is around 31.5%, which means that, according to measurements by the Superintendence of Health Services, four of the five largest prepaid companies in the country adjusted below the general price level in 2025.

The picture of the sector today: OSDE leads the market with 2.2 million affiliates, followed by Swiss Medical (1.03 million), Sancor Salud (672 thousand), Galeno (442 thousand) and Medifé (317 thousand). Outside the top five, companies such as Hospital Italiano (32.55%), Unión Personal (33.8%) and OMINT (36.25%) exceeded annual inflation.

🕰️ RECENT TIMELINE

How we got here

🏛️ REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

The Superintendence and the new tariff transparency

Since July 2025, prepaid medicine companies have been required to report their differentiated prices by plan, age group and region to the Superintendence of Health Services (SSS) on a monthly basis. This scheme, the result of the deregulation promoted by the Milei government, seeks to generate competition between providers and give clear information to users so that they can compare and choose.

In addition, in January 2025, Resolution 1 of the Ministry of Health put an end to the triangulation system: more than 1.3 million affiliates who channeled their contributions through intermediary social works began to link them directly to their provider. The government estimated that this eliminated a cash of more than $30,000 million per month that these social works retained without providing services.

What can the affiliate do? The Superintendence enabled an official digital platform where users can consult and compare plans, values and providers. The cancellation or change of plan is also enabled with prior notification from the company.

✍️ EDITORIAL

Private health, an expense that does not give a truce

The slowdown in inflation in Argentina is good news, but it does not translate into relief when it comes to private health. The prepaid ones adjust month by month, dragging down a system that, for millions of middle-class families, became the second heaviest expense after rent.

Deregulation brought order to the sector, eliminated intermediaries and generated more transparency. However, the equation for the affiliate's pocket did not necessarily improve: the increases are still automatic, the co-payments rise in parallel and the alternative – the union social work – does not offer the quality that many seek in the private sector either.

The underlying challenge is not regulatory but structural: how to sustain a private health system that works, that covers well and that is financially achievable for a middle class hit by years of accumulated inflation. For now, the response that arrives in the mail every month is always the same: another increase.

Tags: 💊 Prepaid 📈 Medicine Inflation 🏥 Private Health Domestic 💰 Economy 🇦🇷 Argentina

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The ruling party sealed the victory with the usual votes of the PRO, the UCR, the MID and the provincial blocs that respond to pro-dialogue governors. Peronism, as a bloc, voted against. The debate lasted from 2 p.m. on Thursday until early Friday morning, with fiery speeches, quorum maneuvers and an unusual emotional charge in the chamber.

The heart of the legislative conflict was Article 44, incorporated by the Senate, which established that a worker who suffered an accident or illness unrelated to his work duties would receive only between 50% and 75% of his basic salary during the period of leave. The combined pressure of the PRO, the UCR, provincial governors and allied union sectors led the government to accept its elimination before the session in the Chamber of Deputies.

The constitutional procedure is clear: for a bill to have the force of law, both chambers must approve it with identical text. As Deputies, he modified the articles – albeit minimally – the bill automatically returns to the Senate. The official agenda points to the week of February 24 for the final treatment.

The Labor Modernization Law, with more than 200 articles organized into five thematic axes, fundamentally modifies central aspects of the Labor Contract Law (No. 20,744). These are the most relevant changes for workers and employers:

The 135-115 result reflected the government's ability to sustain its expanded coalition, a direct result of the legislative triumph of October 2025. The agreements with opposition governors, who aligned their blocs with the ruling party, were decisive.

Since midnight on Thursday the 19th, Argentina experienced the fourth general strike against the government of Javier Milei. The CGT called for a 24-hour cessation of activities: transport, banks, shops and industry were practically paralyzed. The CGT leadership reported 90% adherence at the national level; the Association of State Workers (ATE) reported 98% compliance among its members.

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🛑 General strike in Argentina: a day of political tension, paralyzed transport and union conflict

⏱ Reading time: 4 min By Redacción | Updated as of February 19, 2026

📌 A country stopped in the midst of the conflict over labor reform

Argentina is experiencing a day marked by social and political tension. The CGT leads a 24-hour general strike in rejection of the labor reform promoted by the national government. The measure coincides with the debate of the bill in the Chamber of Deputies, which raised the climate of confrontation between the ruling party and the unions.

From the Executive, officials described the strike as "unnecessary" and "harmful to workers", while the labor federation maintains that the strike has a "massive compliance" and that the reform "cuts back on rights conquered."

🚇 Transport paralyzed and services affected

The most visible impact of the strike is felt in transport:

• Trains, subways or buses do not work.
• Airports operate with minimal services, with dozens of flights canceled.
• Taxis and remises work with low availability.

The streets of Buenos Aires woke up with reduced traffic and practically empty stations, a postcard that is repeated in the main cities of the country.

⚖️ Labour reform at the centre of the debate

The project promoted by the Government proposes changes in:

• Compensation
• Contracting modalities
• Licenses
• Working hours

While the ruling party defends the initiative as a step towards the "modernization of the labor market," the CGT warns that it is a "historic setback."

🏭 The closure of FATE aggravates the social climate

The conflict intensified after the closure of the FATE tire factory, which left more than 900 workers unemployed. The SUTNA union blames the government for "lack of industrial policies," while the Ministry of Labor dictated mandatory conciliation to stop dismissals.

At the San Fernando plant, the workers maintain a permanent vigil and denounce that the company "abandoned production".

🔥 A fragile economic scenario

The strike occurs in a context of:

• Fall in industrial activity
• Rising unemployment
• Small and medium-sized business closures

The unions maintain that the labour reform "will deepen precariousness", while the government insists that it is necessary to "reactivate the economy".

🧭 What can happen in the next few hours

• Deputies will continue the debate on the reform.
• The CGT is evaluating new measures of force.
• The Government maintains its position of not modifying the project.

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⚖️ Senate approves the labor reform promoted by Milei

42 votes in favor – 30 against – Marathon session between protests

📰 The fact

In a session that lasted more than 14 hours, the Senate of the Nation approved in general the labor reform proposed by President Javier Milei. The vote ended with 42 affirmative votes and 30 negative, with no abstentions. Outside Congress, clashes broke out between protesters and security forces, with several injuries reported.

The initiative now goes to the Chamber of Deputies, where the ruling party will seek its final sanction during the extraordinary sessions.

📊 Keys to the reform

• Flexibility of labor contracts and reduction of employer burdens.
• Changes in the system of compensation and sick leave.
• Adjustments in the system of contributions and contributions.
• Greater room for action for the security forces in union conflicts.

🗳️ How each senator voted

✅ In favor (42)

• The ruling bloc La Libertad Avanza en plenary.
• Majority of the UCR.
• PRO Senators.
• Sectors of federal Peronism and provincial allies.

❌ Against (30)

• Bloc of the Frente de Todos (Kirchnerist Peronism).
• Some provincial senators who rejected labor flexibility.
• Left-wing legislators and minority parties.

🟢 Votes in favor of the labor reform (42)

🔹 La Libertad Avanza (ruling party)

1. Bartolomé Abdala
2. Romina Almeida
3. Ivanna Arrascaeta
4. Ezequiel Atauche
5. Vilma Bedia
6. Joaquín Alberto Benegas Lynch
7. Patricia Bullrich
8. Pablo Cervi
9. Agustín Coto
10. Enzo Fullone
11. Juan Cruz Godoy
12. Gonzalo Guzmán Coraita
13. Nadia Márquez
14. Monte de Oca Nativity Scene
15. Agustín Monteverde
16. Bruno Olivera Lucero
17. María Emilia Orozco
18. Juan Carlos Pagotto
19. Francisco Paoltroni

🔹 Radical Civic Union (UCR)

20. Maximiliano Abad
21. Flavio Fama
22. Eduardo Galaretto
23. Mariana Juri
24. Daniel Kroneberger
25. Carolina Losada
26. Silvana Schneider
27. Rodolfo Suárez
28. Gabriela Valenzuela
29. Eduardo Vischi

🔹 PRO (Republican Proposal)

30. Andrea Cristina
31. Martín Goerling
32. Victoria Huala
33. Luis Juez

🔹 Provincial and Independent Blocs

34. Carlos Arce — Frente Renovador de la Concordia Social
35. Sonia Rojas Decut — Frente Renovador de la Concordia Social
36. Julieta Corroza — La Neuquinidad
37. Flavia Royón — First the Salteños
38. Edith Terenzi — Despierta Chubut
39. Beatriz Ávila — Independiente
40. Alejandra Vigo — United Provinces

🔴 Votes against the labour reform (30)

🔸 Union for the Homeland (Kirchnerism / traditional Peronism)

1. Guillermo Andrada
2. Adam Bahl
3. Daniel Bensusán
4. Jorge Capitanich
5. Lucía Corpacci
6. Eduardo "Wado" de Pedro
7. Juliana Di Tullio
8. Anabel Fernández Sagasti
9. María Celeste Giménez Navarro
10. María Teresa González
11. Alicia Kirchner
12. Marcelo Lewandowski
13. Carlos Linares
14. Candida Lopez
15. María Florencia López
16. Juan Luis Manzur
17. Ana Inés Marks
18. José Mayans
19. Mariano Recalde
20. Martín Soria
21. Sergio Uñac

🔸 Federal Conviction / Other Provincials (non-UCR/PRO opposition)

22. Guillermo Andrada — Federal Conviction
23. Sandra Mendoza — Federal Conviction
24. María Carolina Moises — Federal Conviction
25. Jesús Fernando Rejal — Federal Conviction
26. Fernando Salino — Federal Conviction
27. José María Carambia — Moveré por Santa Cruz
28. Natalia Gadano — Moveré por Santa Cruz
29. Gerardo Zamora — Others
30. Elia Moreno — Others
31. José Emilio Neder — Others

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🇦🇷🤝🇺🇸 Argentina-U.S. Trade Agreement

Official Publication – February 2026

📌 Background

• ✍️ Signatories: Pablo Quirno (Argentine Foreign Minister) and Jamieson Greer (USTR USA)
• 📍 Location: Washington D.C.
• 📅 Date: February 5, 2026
• 🎯 Objective: To establish a strategic framework for reciprocal trade and investment

🔑 Key Points

• ⚡ Energy: promotion of exploration and exploitation projects with international standards
• ⛏️ Critical minerals: cooperation on lithium and strategic resources
• 🏗️ Infrastructure: financing and development in transport and logistics
• 💻 Technology: knowledge transfer and access to innovation
• 🏢 Business presence: More than 330 U.S. companies already operating in Argentina

📊 Expected Impact

• 📈 Investments: greater predictability and clear rules to attract capital
• 🌍 Bilateral relationship: consolidation of the strategic alliance
• 💡 Innovation: access to new technologies and know-how
• 🚚 Competitiveness: improvement in logistics and exports

⚠️ Considerations

• 🔄 Opportunity: Argentina is positioned as a key partner in sectors of high global value
• 📉 Challenge: Will depend on macroeconomic stability and domestic compliance
• 🏛️ Political context: reinforces the alignment of Javier Milei's government with Donald Trump's administration

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Crisis at INDEC: Marco Lavagna's resignation opens a political and technical front in the government

The departure of Marco Lavagna from the leadership of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) unleashed a strong controversy in the national government and revived the debate on transparency and the methodology used to measure inflation in a context of high economic sensitivity. The resignation came after the Executive's refusal to implement a methodological update of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) scheduled for January, which generated internal tensions and public questioning.

A methodological change that never came

According to official sources, the new measurement scheme had been ready since March 2025 and had been publicly announced in September. However, its application was postponed due to "technical issues" and, as it transpired, also for political reasons linked to the impact it could have on the government's economic communication.

The publication of the CPI for January – which was supposed to incorporate the new methodology – was the breaking point. The Casa Rosada insisted on maintaining the current system, which led to the resignation of Lavagna, who considered that the process had lost institutional predictability.

Pedro Lines, the replacement

The Government appointed Pedro Lines as the new director of the agency. Lines has an extensive technical career within INDEC, but his arrival takes place in a climate of mistrust and political noise. Analysts warn that the immediate challenge will be to rebuild the credibility of the organization and guarantee the continuity of statistical standards.

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⚖️ Labor reform in Congress

The ruling party seeks to approve changes in extraordinary sessions, with tense negotiations between governors and the CGT. Patricia Bullrich and Diego Santilli lead the negotiating wing in a scenario full of political tension.

🏛️ Political context

• 📅 Beginning of extraordinary sessions: Congress opened its agenda with labor reform as the central issue.
• 👩 💼 Bullrich and Santilli: leaders of the ruling party who are leading the negotiations.
• ✊ CGT in resistance: deploys  a national tour to pressure governors and stop the project.

📜 Project content

• 🔧 Flexibility of contracts: new contracting modalities.
• 💰 Reduction of labor costs: simplification of compensation.
• 🌍 Official objective: to modernize the labor market and attract investment.
• 🚨 Union criticism: they denounce a setback in acquired rights.

🔥 Tensions and negotiations

• 🤝 Government vs. governors: some support, others condition their vote.
• 🚩 CGT on the offensive: meetings, mobilizations and the threat of a national strike.
• ⏳ Ruling party against the clock: the Senate plans to deal with the initiative on February 11, with no votes assured.

📊 Keys to the debate

🔮 Possible scenarios

• ✅ Approval without changes: political triumph for Milei, but with massive union protests.
• ✏️ Approval with modifications: partial consensus, but with reduced scope.
• ❌ Rejection: strong political blow to the ruling party and escalation of the union conflict.

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The Government promotes the reform of the Juvenile Criminal Law in extraordinary sessions

The Executive confirmed that the lowering of the age of imputability will be debated in February along with the labor reform

The national government confirmed on Monday the inclusion of the reform of the Juvenile Criminal Law in the agenda of the extraordinary sessions of Congress, which will begin next week. The decision was announced by the Chief of Cabinet, Manuel Adorni, after a strategic meeting at Casa Rosada that was attended by the political core of the ruling party.

The initiative, which seeks to modify the current regime of criminal responsibility for minors, thus joins other priority projects of the Executive, such as labor modernization and the modification of the Glacier Law, configuring a high-impact legislative agenda for the month of February.

A high-level political table

The definition was made during a meeting at Casa Rosada in which Karina Milei, Secretary of the Presidency; the Minister of the Interior, Diego Santilli; the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Martín Menem; the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo; the presidential advisor, Santiago Caputo; and Senator Patricia Bullrich.

Through his account on the social network X, Adorni ratified the decision: "We met at Casa Rosada since early. The 'Juvenile Criminal Law' will also be part of the agenda of the extraordinary sessions."

What does the reform propose?

The project originally presented by the Executive Branch in 2024 proposes lowering the age of imputability from 16 to 14 years old, although during the previous parliamentary debate there were tensions on this point. The ministers of Justice, Mariano Cúneo Libarona, and Security, Patricia Bullrich, proposed that it be established in 13 years; the deputies set it at 14.

The opinion that obtained consensus in commissions during 2025 included broader aspects than the simple modification of age: its purpose is to promote in the accused adolescent the sense of legal responsibility for his or her actions and achieve his or her education, resocialization and social integration.

Among the provisions contemplated are specific procedural guarantees for minors, such as the right to defence from the beginning of the process, deprivation of liberty as a last measure, and exclusive accommodation in specialized establishments. The sanctions applied may in no case imply an interruption of studies.

An inconclusive debate that returns to the scene

The project had already gone through an extensive debate during 2025. The discussion lasted nine months and brought together 15 different projects; the ruling never reached the floor, lost parliamentary status, forcing the Executive to restart the process from scratch.

Official sources confirmed that the government could resubmit its original version, although during the previous negotiation it had to give in on key points. The text established a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and expressly prohibited life imprisonment. That was another of the points that were modified during the negotiation: in the ruling that advanced, the limit of custodial sentences for adolescents was set at 15 years.

The political context and the cases that accelerated the decision

The reactivation of the debate takes place in a context marked by criminal cases involving minors and generating media repercussions. The most recent cases include the murder of Joaquín Ibarra, 21, and the death of Uriel Giménez, 12, in addition to the murder of Jeremías Monzón in Santa Fe.

Patricia Bullrich, current senator and former Minister of Security, was blunt on her social networks: "Society needs justice and to prevent new victims. Without consequences, there is freedom to commit crimes. There we will see clearly who is on the side of the Argentines, and who continues to defend the criminals."

Conflicting positions

The project faces strong resistance from sectors of the opposition, human rights organizations and leaders of the Catholic Church. According to a UNICEF report, there is no evidence to show that lowering the age of criminal responsibility has a favorable impact on greater security for the population.

Critics warn that a 14-year-old convicted of a felony could receive a sentence beyond his or her own age, undermining any chance that person could have a life beyond prison.

Kirchnerism already expressed its outright rejection during the debate in commissions in 2025, although the Renovation Front showed internal fissures, with legislators willing to support the initiative.

Next steps

The extraordinary sessions will begin next Monday, February 2 and will last until the 27th of the same month. With a renewed parliamentary map after the 2025 elections, the ruling party is confident of gathering the necessary support to move forward with this reform that promises to become one of the most intense debates of the legislative year.

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