In an operation carried out by the Federal Investigations Department (DFI) of the Federal Police in the western part of the Conurbano, at least 16 foreign citizens residing in the country irregularly were detected. Four Bolivian nationals were also arrested for managing businesses operating within an informal market. Police sources revealed to the Argentine News Agency that in this shopping area, the Federal Police detected violations of the Trademark Law and the sale of stolen mobile phones. The operation was carried out in Villa Celina, La Matanza district, as part of a population control conducted by the Federal Police's Immigration Affairs Department, at the request of the National Directorate of Migration (DNM). The operation has similarities to those carried out in the United States by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the request of President Donald Trump. Beyond the resemblance, unlike in the northern country, 'in Argentina, there was no talk of expelling them as a result of the procedure, but of requiring them to regularize their situation'. Officers inspected various galleries, street stalls, and commercial premises, proceeding to identify a total of 458 people, of whom 369 were of foreign nationality. To this end, public officials used the Morpho RAPID ID system (a portable biometric device for rapid person identification) and consulted the databases of the Federal Police Communications System (SIFCOP), the DNM, and the SASI system for checking and crossing biometric and alphanumeric data. As a result of these verifications, it was found that 16 foreign citizens were residing irregularly in the Argentine Republic. Consequently, the corresponding Migration Declaration forms were drawn up, in addition to three special reports on the owners of commercial premises who had employees in an irregular migratory situation. During the operation, federal officials detected four businesses with various irregularities: two of them infringed Law 22.362 on Trademarks, while in the other two, the sale of a significant number of mobile phones blocked by ENACOM for having been reported as stolen was verified. As a result of the procedure, 70 mobile devices were seized, along with 50 t-shirts, 226 pairs of sneakers, and 55 pants of counterfeit brands.
