Outgoing National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, will leave her successor, Alejandra Monteoliva, with a sizeable asset: the new National Directorate for Migration (DNM), which – according to the 2026 draft Budget bill submitted to Congress by the Executive Branch – will amount to 181.14 billion pesos ($127.5 million at the official exchange rate).
The development emerged on the day that Bullrich’s portfolio announced the creation of a new “Agencia Nacional de Migraciones,” or National Migration Agency. The minister and Monteoliva made the news official at a press conference on Tuesday.
Next year’s Budget has yet to begin to make its way through Congress and could undergo changes from December onwards, when the budgetary roadmap is debated during the extraordinary sessions.
Within that framework, the resources required for setting up a new border police force will now have to be discussed – the Budget presented by Javier Milei does not include funding specifically assigned to this new entity.
According to the Infobae website, staff for the new force will be drawn from personnel reassigned from other security forces under Bullrich’s authority, who will in turn require new training.
The decision to reassign personnel is striking given that the security forces have suffered numerous and alarming losses this year, chiefly due to poor pay. The Gendarmerie, or Border Guard, has seen more than 2,300 departures so far under the libertarian administration; this is the very force responsible for guarding Argentina’s land borders.
According to figures contained in the draft Budget bill, Argentina’s Treasury will transfer 56.689 billion pesos to the Migration Directorate, which also has 120.64 billion pesos in its own funds and an external credit line of 3.812 billion pesos.
With these amounts, Bullrich has secured a total funding base of 181 billion pesos for her successor and the portfolio, which the minister will continue to exert influence over, despite taking up a Senate seat.
The model Bullrich is using to shape the Migration Police is the US Border Patrol, a force that intensified its operations during President Donald Trump’s administration and its tightening of anti-immigration policies.
The new Argentine force will also focus on serious crimes under federal jurisdiction, such as drug-trafficking, terrorism, and human-trafficking. Its central aim will be to reinforce control at border crossings.
Bullrich’s ties with the United States and the ongoing exchange of information and cooperation remain strong. The National Security Ministry intends to send personnel to the US to learn training techniques for Federal Police officers to be housed in the newly created Federal Investigations Department (DFI).
The transfer of immigration control to the Security Ministry caused some controversy. Historically, the Directorate has fallen under the sphere of the Interior Ministry, which is now headed by Diego Santilli.
However, Bullrich reached an agreement with Karina Milei to preserve her influence within the Ministry and secure additional functions – mirroring Trump’s policy approach in the US and maintaining her ties with the country to the north.
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