Javier Milei's government is set to reform the National Intelligence Law via a decree of necessity and urgency, granting the SIDE broader powers, including the ability to detain people. Opposition figures warn of threats to democracy and a potential police state. The DNU is scheduled for publication on January 2, 2026.
President Javier Milei is pushing a comprehensive reform to the National Intelligence System through DNU 941/25, which leaked and is set for publication on Friday, January 2, 2026, in the Official Gazette. The measure amends Law 25.520, establishing the State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE) as the principal body and allowing its personnel to apprehend individuals during intelligence activities, judicial assistance, or crimes in flagrante delicto, with immediate notification to security forces.
All intelligence activities are declared covert to minimize national strategic risks. New structures are created, such as the National Counterintelligence Agency (formerly Security Agency) and the Federal Cyberintelligence Agency (replacing the Cybersecurity one). The latter separates from cybersecurity, which moves to the Cabinet Chief's office under Manuel Adorni, influenced by Karina Milei, while cyberintelligence stays under SIDE, controlled by advisor Santiago Caputo.
The decree eliminates the National Directorate of Strategic Military Intelligence, transferring its functions to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and enables support from Armed Forces and police to intelligence without overlaps. Government sources defend the reform as a modernization that integrates the system into the state, separates it from police functions, and adapts it to contemporary threats like espionage and foreign interference.
Opposition reacts strongly. Deputy Esteban Paulón called the DNU "a hard blow to our democracy," warning it will surveil activists, opponents, and journalists. Jorge Taiana sees it as an expansion of functions that will curtail rights and persecute dissenters. Agustín Rossi warned of militarization and loss of control by the Defense Minister, demanding Congress reject the decree.
The DNU must be reviewed by Congress's Permanent Commission within ten business days.
