Evictions in Neuquen, Jujuy and Misiones have reignited disputes over ancestral Indigenous land rights.
In recent days, Argentine President Javier Milei has continued carrying out operations to evict Indigenous peoples from their ancestral territories. These actions are taking place as the far-right government continues promoting a private property law that would make it even easier to remove those populations.
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The recent evictions in the provinces of Neuquen in the south, Jujuy in the north and Misiones in the northeast have a common issue that is always at the center of the debate: disputes between registered property rights and Indigenous claims to ancestral possession.
In December 2024, the situation worsened with the repeal of Law 26,160, which had declared a territorial emergency, suspended evictions, and provided for a registry of community lands. This is now compounded by congressional debate over a proposal that would allow the Argentine government to carry out “Express Evictions.”
On Wednesday, the Mapuche communities Kinxikew and Melo, which have inhabited an ancestral territory between Bariloche and Villa La Angostura for more than 100 years, faced an eviction operation involving hundreds of police officers and members of the Special Operations Group.
“I have my father buried here, and my grandfather was murdered here. They want to remove us with a fake title. These lands belong to us! We have evidence of our pre-existence and recognition by the state,” Indigenous Mapuche leader Lucas Melo Piñen said.
In 2023, the National Institute of Indigenous Affairs (INAI) recognized “current, traditional, and public occupation rights” for the Kinxikew community. The Argentine state, however, did not grant the community title.
The litigation was initiated more than 15 years ago by a Belgian family with the surname Broers, which has held a property title since the 1970s and which was accepted by the courts to justify the eviction. It is this “fake” title that Melo Piñen refers to.
Police in Argentina violently evicted an Indigenous community from their homes and community using tear gas and rubber bullets.
About 10 people from the Santa Rosa community in Jujuy province were injured, and police detained at least 5 small children without notifying their… pic.twitter.com/Jq0KQABJ4D
— AJ+ (@ajplus) August 18, 2026
Greed for Natural Resources on Ancestral Lands
On Aug. 10, police evicted families from the Santa Rosa community in Humahuaca, in the province of Jujuy, in an operation involving more than 100 armed officers. Rubber bullets were fired and several people were arrested.
The conflict originated from a dispute over boundaries and a cadastral map that the community considers erroneous. The provincial judiciary, however, has protected citizens claiming private ownership, including miners and real estate developers.
“The situation of conflict is permanent because of the geopolitical interest in natural common goods, such as lithium and water. Jujuy is serving as the laboratory for what Milei wants to extend nationwide,” said Natalia Morales, a provincial legislator who is a member of the Left Front.
Days earlier, on July 28, about 50 police officers evicted the Mbya Guarani Puente Quemado II community in Garuhape, in the province of Misiones, at the request of forestry businessman Alfredo Ruff.
The defense appealed, and two days later the measure was overturned, allowing the Indigenous families to return to their territory. This particular conflict combines a land dispute with forestry interests in a province where the timber industry plays a central economic role.
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Milei’s Law for Express Evictions
The three cases described above have occurred while Congress debates the “Inviolability of Private Property” Law, which has already been approved by the Senate and is awaiting approval by the lower house.
The legislative proposal establishes that urban and rural evictions can be processed through summary proceedings and provides for the possibility of the early restitution of the property. This is known as an “Express Eviction.”
The Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) has warned of the consequences of accelerating evictions without first resolving the titling of Indigenous territories.
“Milei’s law could deepen conflicts, considering that community property is already recognized by the Constitution. It could also violate international treaties signed by Argentina concerning Indigenous rights,” CELS warned.
The offensive against Indigenous territories coincides with a new wave of land acquisitions by European, U.S. and Israeli businesspeople, which has been encouraged and endorsed by the Argentine president himself.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
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