MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine lawmaker files criminal complaint against Milei over US military exercises

In the filing, Marino argued that Article 75, subsection 28 of the Constitution reserves exclusively for Congress the power to permit the entry of foreign troops

An opposition lawmaker has filed a criminal complaint against President Javier Milei and four current and former government officials for authorizing, by decree, the entry of US troops that took part in military exercises on Argentine soil without congressional approval.

The complaint was filed by Juan Marino, a deputy for the Unión por la Patria bloc, with legal backing from constitutional lawyer Eduardo Barcesat. The case was assigned to Federal Criminal and Correctional Court No. 10, under Judge Julián Ercolini. In addition to Milei, the complaint names former Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni, Defense Minister Carlos Presti, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and former Communications Secretary Javier Lanari.

The filing targets Decree of Necessity and Urgency 264/2026, issued on April 16, which authorized US Armed Forces personnel and equipment to take part in two exercises: “Daga Atlántica,” held at bases in Buenos Aires and Córdoba provinces, and “PASSEX,” conducted in Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone during the passage of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. Marino said more than 350 US troops operated over 42 days.

In the filing, Marino argued that Article 75, subsection 28 of the Constitution reserves exclusively for Congress the power to permit the entry of foreign troops, and that Law 25,880 bars authorizing such operations by decree. He charged the officials with abuse of authority and dereliction of public duty, and, on a subsidiary basis, treason.

The complaint frames the exercises as part of what Marino described as the government's alignment with US foreign policy. It also objects to a letter of intent signed between the Argentine Navy and US Southern Command, and warns of an alleged risk of foreign access to strategic South Atlantic data, including maritime areas linked to the Falklands, a point the deputy ties to the United Kingdom's NATO membership.

The government defended the decree, saying it had sent Congress a bill to authorize combined exercises between September 2025 and August 2026 that lawmakers had not finished reviewing. It has so far made no public statement on the complaint.