“Historic. Histórico. Ya es una realidad el desalojo de la Cárcel de Devoto”, declaró el jefe de Gobierno porteño, Jorge Macri, destacando el inicio del operativo de traslado de detenidos. As security forces executed the latest phase of prisoner transfers to the new federal complex in Marcos Paz, the historic walls of the Villa Devoto facility emptied out, leaving behind little more than accumulated grime, peeling graffiti, and the silent, payphones inmates once used to reach the outside world, La Nación reported.
The Legal Battle Over Institutional Displacements
The swift relocation process has sparked an immediate legal and institutional standoff. The Procuración Penitenciaria de la Nación (PPN) filed a collective and corrective habeas corpus to halt the transfers, arguing that the National Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service (SPF) was moving inmates without prior notification to their defense attorneys, the presiding judges, or the detainees themselves, thereby breaching established transfer protocols. Furthermore, the PPN highlighted that the initial groups removed from Devoto included university students enrolled in the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) through the University of Buenos Aires, whose academic continuity in Marcos Paz remains precarious.
Despite these urgent objections, Criminal and Correctional Santiago Bignone rejected the habeas corpus. In his ruling, Bignone noted that the evidence failed to demonstrate a concrete violation of personal integrity, family ties, or judicial guarantees resulting from the relocation. The magistrate emphasized that the closure of the complex was not an improvised measure, but rather part of a broader institutional reorganization of federal prison infrastructure that predates the immediate operation.
Contrasting Realities of the Marcos Paz Transition
While federal and city officials frame the operation as a meticulously planned milestone, various legal representatives and human rights advocates paint a starkly different picture of the conditions facing the transferred population. According to reports from Clarín, initial groups—consisting primarily of inmates from conduct pavilions 50 and 52, as well as individuals with health issues—arrived at Marcos Paz to find themselves without immediate access to personal belongings, adequate hygiene items, or proper clothing. Detainees complained of being confined to collective pavilions without clear information regarding future family visits.
The involvement of students from the Devoto University Center (CUD) became a central flashpoint. Legal counsel Claudia Cesaroni, speaking to Página/12, criticized the move, noting that agreements had previously contemplated transferring students to Ezeiza, where established academic infrastructure already exists, rather than Marcos Paz where academic conditions remain uncertain. Página/12 further reported that university representatives stated the SPF cut off prior discussions and proceeded unilaterally, declaring the relocation of the university center unviable under current conditions.
Logistical Execution and Future Urban Plans for the Devoto Site
The ongoing operation involves substantial logistical coordination across a distance of roughly 55 kilometers between the capital facility and the new 80-hectare complex in Marcos Paz, which boasts a maximum capacity of 2,232 inmates. National Security Alejandra Monteoliva described the endeavor as a coordination effort managed by a Unified Command consisting of five federal forces. Following the removal of the remaining detainees from Devoto—where approximately 1,500 prisoners were originally housed—the plan entails moving an additional 350 detainees currently held in City Police precincts and holding cells.
Once the site is fully vacated, the Buenos Aires City administration intends to urbanize the historic Devoto property into green spaces. Additionally, human rights organizations and legal representatives are pressing for a dedicated sector of the grounds to be officially designated as a Site of Memory to honor the 65 inmates who died in a fire during the March 14, 1978, Pavilion Seven massacre. As transport vans continue moving the remaining inmates, neither federal nor city authorities have provided a definitive final date for the completion of the relocation.
