Italy grants citizenship to Argentina’s President Javier Milei, sparks backlash over migrant discrimination

Italy’s government has granted citizenship to Argentina’s President Javier Milei based on his Italian heritage, sparking backlash from opposition politicians.

According to a Reuters report, the opposition highlighted the contrast between Milei’s treatment and the difficulties faced by children born in Italy to migrant parents in obtaining citizenship.

Milei is currently in Rome to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and attend her Brothers of Italy party’s annual festival on Saturday.

According to the report, citing a source familiar with the matter, the Argentine leader was granted Italian citizenship, though no further details were provided.

The decision, reported by Italian media, has sparked outrage on social media and among politicians, with many criticising the ease with which Milei received citizenship compared to the challenges faced by migrants’ children born in Italy.

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Italy’s citizenship laws are based on blood ties, meaning that even distant descendants of Italian nationals can claim Italian citizenship. In contrast, the requirements for foreigners born in Italy or those who migrate there are much stricter.

Pro-migrant groups have suggested holding a referendum to ease these requirements, but PM Meloni’s right-wing coalition opposes any relaxation of the rules.

Riccardo Magi, a lawmaker from the small opposition +Europa party, told Reuters that granting citizenship to Milei was an act of “intolerable discrimination against so many young people who will only get it after many years”.

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During a previous trip to Italy in February, Milei said in a TV interview he felt “75% Italian” since three of his grandparents had Italian origins, and that he has “an incredible passion for Italian opera”.

Libertarian Milei and conservative Meloni have established a close relationship. When they met in Buenos Aires last month, the Argentine leader gave his Italian guest a statuette of himself wielding his trademark chainsaw.

With inputs from agencies