Milei rules out deporting Kelpers if UK cedes control of Malvinas

President Javier Milei said in a hypothetical scenario that the residents of the Malvinas (Falkland) Islanders would not be deported if the UK ever ceded the territory to Argentina.

Asked theoretically about the fate of the roughly 3,600 residents under Argentine sovereignty, Milei told Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday that their rights would be respected.

“I am very clear that those people will be treated with dignity and justice,” Milei said. “We are not going to kick them out.”

Milei reiterated his nation’s position that the islanders aren’t an indigenous population entitled to self-determination, arguing that Britain displaced an earlier population and installed another.

“We are the owners of the islands by geography, by law and by history,” Milei said, adding that Argentina would continue to pursue its sovereignty claim while treating the current population “with respect.”

Milei has stepped up pressure over the British-controlled Falklands Islands, known in Argentina as the Las Islas Malvinas, as the Sea Lion offshore oil project moves toward production in 2028. His government this month began sanctions proceedings against dozens of companies and individuals involved in oil activity around the islands. 

The dispute was also sparked by US President Donald Trump, who said in August that Washington was reviewing its historically neutral position on the issue. Milei has cited that shift as potentially creating a more favourable geopolitical environment for Argentina’s claim.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Milei called on Britain to resume negotiations toward a “peaceful solution.”

Britain rejects Argentina’s position and says sovereignty isn’t open to negotiation unless the islanders want it to be. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham raised the issue directly with Trump this week, saying Britain would defend the islanders’ right to self-determination and to remain British.