Deportations and Reverse Migration, 1902–1910

This chapter focuses on the anarchist movement in Argentina to 1910, as its ties to Spain were reinforced through deportations from Argentina as well as continued immigration from Spain. The Argentine government passed the Residency Law after strikes and labor unrest in 1902, which allowed the deportation of unruly immigrants. Deportations of anarchists then occurred sporadically until the 1930s. Many deported writers, editors, and activists remained active after returning to Spain. Juana Rouco Buela, deported in 1907 for her role in an anarchist feminist organization, took part in the movement in Spain before returning surreptitiously to Argentina. Antonio Loredo had been a member of the editorial board of the anarchist daily La Protesta prior to his 1909 deportation and later surfaced as an editor of Barcelona's influential anarchist newspaper, Tierra y Libertad. These deportations of Spanish anarchists show not only that population movements can be involuntary as well as voluntary, but also that these returnees brought experiences and ideas from Argentina.