What Congress approved
Chile's Congress gave final approval on Tuesday to legislation designed to shorten the path to removing foreigners who lack legal status. Under the measure, officers may ask a judge for permission to enter a residence for the sole purpose of apprehending a person who already carries an expulsion order. Public agencies may also be asked for information on undocumented individuals so that removal notices can be delivered to them.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7]
The initiative was originally submitted in 2024 by Gabriel Boric, the leftist former president, and was pushed forward again by the administration of the right-wing president José Antonio Kast, who assumed power in March. Expelling the more than 330,000 migrants estimated to be living in Chile without regular status was one of the central pledges of the 60-year-old lawyer's campaign.[S1]
Limited results so far
Kast has repeatedly stated his intention to confront irregular immigration, which he links to rising crime, but the outcomes have been modest. During his first six months in office, roughly 1,800 people were expelled, most of them Colombians, Peruvians, Ecuadorians and Bolivians. Venezuelans, however, make up the largest share of undocumented residents in the country.[S1]
The breakdown in relations with Venezuela hindered Kast's migration policy. Although Chile agreed in July to normalize ties with that country, the move has not yet translated into the removal of Venezuelan nationals.[S1]
