The pastoral of migrants and itinerant of the Argentine Episcopal Conference expressed concern about the modifications in the migratory regime announced by the government of Javier Milei, which “affect fundamental principles of our National Constitution and stigmatize those who choose to live in our country.”
This was stated in the conclusive document of his national meeting, held from June 5 to 7 in the city of Luján, where representatives of various dioceses shared “projects, initiatives and dreams” in favor of migrants, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.
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“Migrating is not a crime”
The main concern of those who work for migrants is focused on the Decree of necessity and urgency 366/2025which imposes modifications to the current Migration Law, “elaborated with a deep democratic consensus” and constitutes an international model in immigration policy due to “its humanitarian approach, which guarantees respect for human rights.”
The aforementioned decree, issued at the end of May by the Milei government, adjusts the migratory control, restricts free access to health and education for non -permanent residents, increases the requirements to obtain permanent residence, establish more firm limits in criminal and migratory matters, formally regulates family reunification, and creates a new citizenship scheme by investment.
When questioning the modifications raised by the Government, the pastoral is based on the fact that article 1 of the current Migration Law establishes that “the right to migrate is essential and inalienable of every person”, and that this does not invalidate the need for “a fair and orderly immigration control.”
“Migrating is not a crime,” they emphasize from the pastoral, and say that “a country that closes to the world is impoverished not only demographically, but also in the cultural and economic.”
“It is intended to justify regressive reforms in the name of security,” they denounce, and remember that “every crime must be prevented and sanctioned in the framework of criminal law, without resorting to xenophobic or discriminatory generalizations that stigmatize migrants and their communities.”
“Denying them or hindering access to health, to education or social protection, as suggested by the reform promoted, not only violates international treaties signed by the Argentine State: it violates our humanity,” they say.
Faced with today’s migratory challenges, they consider, “the only sensible response is that of solidarity and mercy.”
For all this, they urge the authorities “to rever the measures announced, to sustain unrestricted respect to Law 25,871 and to reaffirm a migratory model that combines legality, inclusion and rights.”
The work of the Episcopal Commission of Migrants
Given the reality of migrants who reach different parts of the country, many of them crossing needs, the Episcopal Commission of Migrants and Itinerant (CEMI) carries out several projects.
In dialogue with ACI Press, Noelia Otero, in charge of the social area of said commission, detailed the work they carried out during the National Meeting, in which references of the specific areas (labor, social and legal), shared their initiatives for attention and guidance to migrants.
From the social area, Otero said, support is provided with food and clothing, working together with Caritas, with some municipalities and donations.
The work area is mainly developed through the development of entrepreneurship. In this area, one of the main needs, commented the pastoral referent, is to have what is called “seed capital”, for the purchase of machinery and raw material.
As for the legal area, the work is addressed from the particular situation of each person. Many of the current consultations, he said, had to do with the changes in the law from the decree of necessity and urgency. The person in charge of the area expressed that the regulations should be awaited.
The information shared in the national meeting constitutes a fundamental contribution “to be able to design projects that respond to the needs presented.”
The technical area, meanwhile, announced the current projects and those that have been executed during 2024, which allowed the actions of the migratory pastorals and the direct attention of the Commission to grow.
Concrete projects
With ACN support, it helps the Church in need (Germany), from March to November 2024 a project was executed under the objective of improving pastoral care for migrants in Argentina.
Within that framework, ten podcasts were recorded and a booklet entitled ‘Pray with migrants’ was published. The virtual training course for pastoral agents on “pastoral guidelines and biblical foundations of the migratory pastoral” was also carried out.
Another of the projects carried out between June 2024 and March 2025, with the support of Adveniat, were training workshops to entrepreneurial migrant women for the growth of their ventures.
The project had photo sessions in charge of a specialized team, to contribute images and videos of the products of ten entrepreneurs selected, to expose this material in their social networks. A group of mentors were also formed to replicate the support of the area.
Under the support of Franciscan Mission (United States), from November 2024 to August 2025, the manual was made Trafficking with disabilitiesand territorial trainings were given. This project participated in the Pastoral Delegations of Río Gallegos, Mendoza, Corrientes and Bahía Blanca.
Until April 2025, the Social Area of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Rosario, had the support of the International Organization for Migration (IIM) in a project for the protection care of newcomer migrants, in a situation of vulnerability, being part of the R4V platform (response by Venezuela).
In addition, from July 2024 and until December 2025, a project has been in progress with the objective of strengthening the attention, integration and accompaniment of migrants. Specifically, training in territory, delegations equipment, financing for migrant day, virtual classroom training against trafficking, design and printing of the magazine Migration 2024 and the calendar are carried out; Design and dissemination of national campaigns for awareness and contribution, both for migrants and for the area against trafficking.
At the end of July, the National Meeting for the Fight against Trafficking will be held, with financing of the Celam Clamor Network, with the aim of sensitizing and strengthening the national articulation in the fight against trafficking.
Each of these projects arises from the diagnosis and evaluation of the needs that are carried out from CEMI, with the contribution of each of the delegations, which contribute to making the realities that each territory crosses more close, and walking next to the people in mobility, guided by the four verbs left by Pope Francis: to welcome, protect, promote and integrate.
Julieta Villar
I am a journalist, a graduate in Communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non -governmental organizations. Since 2016 I dedicate myself to Catholic journalism, first in the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as a correspondent for ACI Press for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.