Argentina’s history has been shaped by migration. Between 1870 and 1930, some six million Europeans have settled here. Its 1876 immigration law is quite open. Some migrants are recruited in order to create a “white” Argentine nation, while Patagonia’s indigenous population is almost completely annihilated. “Gobernar es poblar” (“to rule means to populate”) is the motto of the European-influenced elites. In the 1920s, Argentina is one of the world’s leading agricultural exporters.

The global Great Depression thus hits the country hard: Between 1929 and 1932, state revenues fall drastically while unemployment climbs. In 1930, the military revolts. A coalition of right-wing parties now dominates the country and issues a decree severely restricting immigration in 1936; the laws’ main targets are communist, republican, and Jewish refugees from Spain and Germany, who are defamed as a danger to the health of the Argentine population and a threat to the existing political order.

From 1938 to 1942, President Roberto María Ortiz bolsters democracy and liberal politics. But his government, too, tightens immigration laws out of concern for “national security,” in the interests of the Argentine workforce, and in an effort to keep Argentina’s fascists at bay.

During the Évian Conference, all Argentine ambassadors are instructed to reject visa applicants on principle if they appear to be undesirable in their home countries. Two weeks after the conference, border controls are tightened to prevent illegal entry.

On July 28, 1938, a decree effectively revokes the liberal immigration law of 1876. From now on, immigrants must present a visa from the Argentine consulate of their country of origin, a disembarkation permit from the Argentine immigration authorities, and proof of an agricultural project. As of the summer of 1938, strict controls over all documents by the Ministry of Justice, the political police, and general staff make it nearly impossible for Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria to enter Argentina.