Immigration rejected the appeal submitted by 'El Catalán' and he could go to court.

In a firm sign of transparency, the Government of Javier Milei, through the National Directorate of Migrations, rejected the appeal filed by  Antoni Gutiérrez-Rubí —the controversial Catalan advisor linked to Kirchnerism  and currently aligned with PRO in the City—after the revocation of his residency in Argentina.

The case, which has already been escalated to the Deputy Chief of Interior Cabinet, Lisandro Catalán, opens the door to a possible deportation  that, for the moment, could only be halted by a judicialization of the process.

The scandal erupted after the journalist and director of La Derecha Diario, Javier Negre, intercepted Gutiérrez-Rubí as he was leaving a top-level restaurant in Buenos Aires. In that awkward moment, Negre politely asked him:

"How do you handle President Milei's accusations that you ran a smear campaign against him?"
However, the Catalan avoided responding, turned his back, and quickly left.
As he tried to get into a car, Negre persisted:
"You are also in an irregular situation here in Argentina, we are told by Migrations. Antonio, you have run a smear campaign against Milei, hired by Jorge Macri, can you answer me? Why don't you face it? Why don't you give your version? Why are you in the country?"
Gutiérrez-Rubí remained silent and fled the scene without uttering a single word.

On April 11th, the National Directorate of Migrations  officially revoked Gutiérrez-Rubí's temporary residency. According to the agency, his permit had expired and, when requesting a new authorization, the Spaniard submitted a sworn statement in which he  claimed to be working at the National University of Tres de Febrero (UNTREF). However, an inspection revealed that this information was false: there is no contractual link  between him and that institution.

This raises a central question:  did he deliberately lie in his sworn statement, or did the university, with strong ties to Kirchnerism, abandon him at the last moment and never formalize the promised contract? The fact is that the proven falsehood in his documentation led to the revocation of his residency. His immigration status is now irregular. Gutiérrez-Rubí filed an appeal that was rejected this week, and now the case is in the hands of the Deputy Chief of Interior Cabinet.

Nicknamed by President Milei as  "the charlatan", Gutiérrez-Rubí is not a newcomer to the country. He was the mastermind behind the communication strategy of former minister Sergio Massa during the 2023 elections. His role was key in the infamous "fear campaign", a propaganda setup that attempted to sow panic over a potential  Milei presidency, a strategy that  failed spectacularly at the polls.

He was also an advisor to Cristina Fernández de Kirchner during her failed candidacy for senator for the province of Buenos Aires in 2017 and worked for Kirchnerist mayors like Fernando Espinoza (La Matanza) and Fernando Gray  (Esteban Echeverría). His connection with the  Frente de Todos continued even during the administration of  Alberto Fernández, whom he attempted to advise to redirect an administration that ended up mired in  economic and political crisis.

Internationally,  Gutiérrez-Rubí  also has a history of alignment with leftist governments: he was one of the strategists for Gustavo Petro, the current president of Colombia  and a reference for Latin American socialism.