This afternoon, President Javier Milei will host a high-profile meeting at the Casa Rosada with Nahuel Gallo, the Argentine gendarme who was recently released after being illegally detained for 448 days in Venezuela. This marks the first official encounter between the President and the officer since Gallo’s return to the country on March 1. The meeting is set to take place in the presidential office, symbolizing a gesture of institutional support for the security forces and a firm stance against the human rights violations committed by the Maduro regime.

Gallo, a first corporal of the National Gendarmerie, was apprehended in December 2024 at the border crossing of San Antonio del Táchira. Throughout his captivity at the notorious “El Rodeo” detention center outside Caracas, he was held without due process or legal assistance, a situation that triggered a major diplomatic and humanitarian outcry. His release was finally secured following a complex negotiation process that included international intervention and support from the Argentine Football Association (AFA), highlighting the administration’s commitment to repatriating citizens held abroad under authoritarian regimes.

The meeting is expected to include key cabinet members, such as Minister of Security Alejandra Monteoliva and Chancellor Pablo Quirno, who were among the first to welcome Gallo upon his arrival at Ezeiza Airport. Previously, Gallo had met with former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich and various legislators, to whom he began sharing the harrowing details of his year-long imprisonment. Administration sources noted that the government purposefully waited over a month before scheduling this official reception to allow the officer time to reconnect with his family and recover from the physical and psychological toll of his detention.

In addition to the humanitarian aspect, the reception serves as a political platform for Milei to reiterate his administration’s alignment with democratic values and its rejection of “malign foreign influences” in the region. Gallo has already used his public return to advocate for the release of other political prisoners still held in Venezuela, including fellow Argentine Germán Giuliani. By welcoming Gallo as a hero, Milei solidifies his narrative of defending the “free world” and those who serve under the Argentine flag against international oppression.