Resolution 1018/2026 directs federal forces and Buenos Aires authorities to plan the transfer. It does not set a date for moving inmates.
Argentina’s Ministry of National Security has created a special command to plan and coordinate the transfer of inmates from Devoto Federal Penitentiary Complex in Buenos Aires to a new prison in Marcos Paz. Resolution 1018/2026 was published in the Official Gazette on October 6. The Buenos Aires government has said the move will be carried out gradually and in stages.
The command will include representatives of the ministry, the Federal Penitentiary Service, Federal Police, Gendarmerie, Naval Prefecture, Airport Security Police and National Directorate of Criminal Intelligence. The City of Buenos Aires and the province were invited to appoint representatives. The command must draw up a plan for transporting inmates and equipment, securing facilities and routes, and assessing risks based on the profiles of those being transferred.
The resolution follows a 2018 agreement to build the Marcos Paz complex and later vacate Devoto. It sets no transfer date and orders the command to begin work immediately. La Nación reports that the new prison has capacity for 2,200 people. Devoto is estimated to hold about 1,500 inmates, while the remaining 700 places are intended for people currently held in police stations in the capital.
The Villa Devoto site is expected to be redeveloped after the prison is vacated. Regulations require green space and a memorial for the 65 inmates who died in the 1978 fire at Pavilion No. 7.