Santilli and Buenos Aires security minister clash over suspension of juvenile criminal law: “A campaign slogan”

A public dispute erupted over the suspension of Buenos Aires province’s new juvenile criminal regime, with Chief of Cabinet Diego Santilli accusing Governor Axel Kicillof of siding with criminals and provincial Security Minister Javier Alonso dismissing the reform as “a campaign slogan.”

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Kicillof’s silence over the suspension of the new Juvenile Criminal Regime is deafening.

Santilli opened the exchange on X at 7:30 p.m., criticizing Kicillof for not commenting on the judge’s decision. “Kicillof’s silence over the suspension of the new Juvenile Criminal Regime is deafening,” he wrote. He added that in the province, “if a 14-year-old delinquent kills you to rob you, he goes unpunished,” and accused the governor of being “once again on the side of the criminal, never the victim.”

Alonso responded two hours later. He told Santilli to focus on his responsibilities and return the resources that, he said, had been taken from Buenos Aires residents. “Lowering the age of criminal responsibility is not enough,” the provincial minister wrote. He asked whether the reform could be implemented without new courts and specialized prosecutors’ offices, detention centers, infrastructure and personnel. He also demanded the funds he said President Javier Milei’s government had denied the province.

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If a 14-year-old delinquent kills you to rob you, he goes unpunished.

“Without structure, resources and investment, your reform is merely a change on paper. A campaign slogan,” Alonso wrote. He also questioned why Santilli was directing his criticism at the governor over a decision belonging to the judiciary, asking: “Are we not a republic?” He ended by saying that displaying outrage on social media might be the only thing the national government knows how to do for Argentines.

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Lowering the age of criminal responsibility is not enough.

The dispute followed a ruling by Marta Pascual, who heads the Juvenile Criminal Responsibility Court No. 2 in Lomas de Zamora. Acting on a preventive collective habeas corpus filed by Gabriela Salicio, a representative of an organization linked to the Catholic Church, Pascual suspended the law’s application in Buenos Aires province for 60 days. She cited the condition and limited capacity of provincial detention centers, warning that housing more adolescents could affect their fundamental rights.

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Without structure, resources and investment, your reform is merely a change on paper. A campaign slogan.