The Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, responded harshly to the court order to transfer convicted prisoners from the City of Buenos Aires to federal prisons, following a habeas corpus submitted by the City Defender's Office. Bullrich stated that this administration will not accept any direct or indirect coercion and emphasized that its main competence is to combat federal crimes.
Bullrich criticized that the City Justice is overstepping by issuing habeas corpus regarding federal spaces and suggested that if violations of rights are detected in the facilities of the City Police, the local government should place the prisoners in its own detention system. Additionally, the minister urged the City to assume its responsibilities to ensure local public safety and alleviate the economic burden on taxpayers who support the inmates committing crimes in that jurisdiction.
In a letter addressed to the head of the City Government, Jorge Macri, Bullrich accused him of leaking false information to the press and questioned the submission of habeas corpus to force the mass entry of prisoners into the Federal Penitentiary Service, stating that this was unviable due to the lack of available spaces, which she attributed to the City's failure to deliver the Marcos Paz Federal Penitentiary Complex.
The minister detailed that since December 2023, the National Government has received more than 5,000 inmates convicted of common crimes committed in the City of Buenos Aires. She highlighted that the Ministry of Security offered various alternatives to the City, including the possibility of constructing modules on land of the Federal Penitentiary Service to house Buenos Aires prisoners.
Bullrich also informed that the proposal was made to extend the available spaces to 1,000, on the condition that the City would assume 50% of the maintenance cost for each inmate. The minister concluded by emphasizing the National Government's decision to transfer the custody and care competencies of detainees to the City level, a proposal that was rejected by local authorities.
