The government of Javier Milei has decided to move forward with a measure of historical gravity: the repeal of the Law of Territorial Sovereignty (26.737), which has protected the national heritage since 2011.

The bill sent to Congress seeks to eliminate all limits on the acquisition of rural land by foreign private entities, dismantling a fundamental pillar of national integrity.

This initiative is not a mere economic "liberalization" ; it is an unprecedented surrender of effective territorial control, which undermines national security, mortgages strategic resources, and threatens the livelihoods of communities.

The loss of sovereignty is concrete and multidimensional . Current law establishes a crucial safeguard: foreigners cannot own more than 15% of the national territory, nor more than 30% in any single area, with special safeguards for border areas and water resources. Repealing it means that foreign corporations, investment funds, and magnates will be able to acquire unlimited tracts of land, even in regions critical to national defense.

The sinister precedent is that of British businessman Joe Lewis, owner of 11,000 hectares in Patagonia with a private airport lacking radar, where the presence of foreign military personnel has been reported and access to a public lake has been blocked. This case, far from being an anomaly, would be the model to be replicated.

The most critical resource at stake is water . Current regulations protected aquifers, river sources, and watersheds. Their elimination allows this strategic 21st-century resource to fall into the hands of foreign interests without sovereign control, jeopardizing future productivity, access to drinking water, and food sovereignty.

Infographic from Infojus, from 2013, with official information from the Argentine State.

The danger is multiplied by the deregulatory "combo" : the same project eliminates restrictions on changing land use after fires, creating a perverse incentive for intentional fires that clear land at low cost and allow its subsequent real estate or mining exploitation.

This indiscriminate transfer of land violently exacerbates historical territorial conflicts . Indigenous and peasant communities, already facing difficulties in regularizing their ancestral landholdings, will be even more vulnerable to displacement by large corporations without any restraint.

The United States has multiplied laws prohibiting the sale of land, especially agricultural land and land near military bases, to citizens of countries considered adversaries, invoking precisely "national security" .

The contradiction is painful : while the Argentine State pretends to claim sovereignty over the Malvina Islands, a project promoted by its own government facilitates the alienation of the continental territory without limits.

While Argentina prepares to relinquish its restrictions, the United States, under Republican administrations, is multiplying laws prohibiting the sale of land, especially agricultural land and land near military bases, to citizens of countries considered adversaries, invoking precisely "national security ." This divergence exposes the logic of capitulation: what for the major powers is a strategic asset to be jealously protected, for this local project becomes just another commodity in the global market.

The official discourse speaks of "investments," but presents no impact studies. As CONICET researcher Facundo Martín pointed out, the law did not hinder serious investments; its repeal is more of an ideological gesture toward international corporations .

The real impact will be the transfer of sovereignty: control over land, water, biodiversity, and the border will gradually pass into the hands of actors whose interests are not aligned with those of the nation. It is a reckless gamble that jeopardizes the future of the country and its future generations.

Sources:

HUFFPOST

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