Argentine Officials Forced To Fly Home From US After Kristi Noem Filed To Inform Them That Visa Ceremony Was Cancelled.

NewsWorldAmericasUS politics Argentinian officials forced to fly home from US after Kristi Noem failed to inform them visa ceremony was canceled: report ‘Let’s just say this was not a great look from us,’ one Trump administration official told Axios Ariana Baio in New York Wednesday 03 September 2025 11:50 EDT 9 Comments Close Kristi Noem posts video of herself riding horses in Argentina while on official trip Your support helps us to tell the story Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more A delegation from Argentina, which arrived in the United States for a visa-waiver signing ceremony, was reportedly forced to return home empty-handed after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem failed to inform them that the event had been canceled. Last week, a group of officials flew from Buenos Aires to Miami, where they were told by the Department of Homeland Security not to continue their trip to Washington, D.C., because the agreement - which would allow American and Argentinian citizens to travel between the two countries for up to 90 days without a visa - was “missing a signature,” a source told Axios. In the end, the officials, including the head of Argentina’s tax and customs agency, Juan Pazo, spent two days in Miami and then returned home. “Let’s just say this was not a great look from us,” a senior Trump administration official told Axios, adding that it was “embarrassing.” The incident appeared preventable. Noem allegedly knew that the Visa Waiver Program signing would not take place because Secretary of State Marco Rubio had not fully approved it yet. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, pictured with Argentine Minister of National Security Patricia Bullrich in July, reportedly failed to inform a delegation that they were pausing a potential Visa Waiver Program agreement open image in gallery Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, pictured with Argentine Minister of National Security Patricia Bullrich in July, reportedly failed to inform a delegation that they were pausing a potential Visa Waiver Program agreement (AFP/Getty) Recommended ‘ICE Barbie’ Kristie Noem dons favorite cowboy gear as she visits Argentina to work on new visa deal ‘ICE Barbie’ Kristie Noem dons favorite cowboy gear as she visits Argentina to work on new visa deal World leaders from China and Argentina join heads of far-right parties to attend Trump’s inauguration World leaders from China and Argentina join heads of far-right parties to attend Trump’s inauguration Noem warns more immigration raids are coming to America’s biggest cities: ‘We do intend to add more’ Noem warns more immigration raids are coming to America’s biggest cities: ‘We do intend to add more’ A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson referred The Independent to a post on X which pushed back on Axios’ reporting. “As we told them there was no new or additional visa waver program related document pending a signature with Argentina," the post read. "DHS looks forward to working with Argentinian officials going forward.” In July, Noem visited Argentina with the intention of starting discussions to help the country reenter the Visa Waiver Program.