São Paulo, October 14, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the October 12 deportation of Brazilian journalist Rogério Tomaz Jr. by Argentinian authorities at the Jorge Newbery international airport in Buenos Aires over allegations that his residential visa was no longer valid.
“It is outrageous that the Argentinian government is using deportation to silence critical voices, as in the case of Brazilian journalist Rogério Tomaz Jr.,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ Latin America program coordinator. “CPJ urges the local authorities to reverse their decision and reaffirm their commitment to democratic standards, including society’s right to a free and independent media environment.”
A freelance journalist who also works as a political advisor to Congressman Alencar Santana, from the Workers’ Party, Tomaz Jr. told CPJ in a phone interview that, prior to the deportation, he had been subjected to a smear campaign after posting a video in support of Brazilian students living in Argentina who faced persecution, death threats, and violence for expressing their support for the Spanish team in the July 19 World Cup final.
Having lived in Argentina in 2020 and 2021 to earn a master’s degree at Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, in Mendoza, Tomaz Jr. received a resident’s visa from Argentina in February 2022, when he decided to go back to Brazil.
Tomaz Jr. told CPJ that he has traveled to Argentina many times since, but when he tried to enter the country this time using his Argentinian identification, customs authorities told him that his visahad been revoked on August 5 for not having lived there for enough time.
“I’ve also been told that I was prohibited entering the country for the next five years,” he said, adding that the decision was made based on a July decree by Argentinian President Javier Milei authorizing the deportation of foreigners critical of the country.
Tomaz Jr. alleges that he became a target of Milei’s troll army, including Juan Pablo Carreira, the president’s national digital communications director, who uses the profile Juan Doe on X. The journalist also said that he will appeal to Argentina’s embassy in Brazil to try to reverse the five-year ban.
CPJ sent text messages to Carreira and the press officer at Argentina’s Ministry of National Security, but they did not immediately respond.
In January, CPJ published a report on how Milei’s administrationhad damagedthe government’s relationship with the press by using online and legal harassment to try to silence journalists.