Washington, D.C. – The U.S. government on Friday barred Argentina’s former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and former Planning Minister Julio Miguel De Vido from entering the United States, citing their involvement in “significant corruption.”
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged that Fernandez de Kirchner and De Vido orchestrated multiple bribery schemes linked to public works contracts, resulting in millions of dollars stolen from the Argentine government. The entry ban extends to their immediate family members.
Fernandez de Kirchner, who served as Argentina’s president from 2007 to 2015 and vice president from 2019 to 2023, remains a major political figure. She is the leader of the main Peronist party and a vocal critic of libertarian President Javier Milei, an ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
While Fernandez de Kirchner has consistently denied any wrongdoing, she has dismissed the charges as politically motivated. “You left your prints all over this,” she wrote in a Facebook post on Friday, implying Milei and Trump’s influence in the legal actions against her.
Her legal troubles have escalated in recent years. In late 2023, an Argentine court upheld her conviction for favoring a business ally with state contracts, a ruling that included a six-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban from public office. She has appealed to Argentina’s Supreme Court, arguing the decision was flawed.
Rubio stated that the corruption case had undermined both public trust and investor confidence in Argentina’s economic future.
In response to the U.S. decision, Fernandez de Kirchner has called for a mass demonstration on Monday, a national day of remembrance in Argentina marking the anniversary of the country’s 1976 military coup.
Her popularity has waned amid growing legal challenges, though she still commands a loyal base. The U.S. ban adds another layer of international pressure as Argentina navigates political and economic instability under Milei’s government.
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