Following seven years of economic and political turmoil, over 7.1 million people have fled Venezuela, creating widespread debate in nearby Chile, which hosts the fourth-highest number of these refugees in the continent.
The debate has dominated the Chilean political scene since 2016.
Although the Chilean government’s official position was originally one of hospitality, attitudes have changed greatly in recent years as poorer migrants seek more favourable economic conditions. Hostility is most pronounced towards the high levels of supposedly undocumented immigrants, the exact number of which is unknown.
A noticeable change occurred in 2017, when ex-President Sebastián Piñera centred much of his election campaign on a promise to end the country’s open-door policy.
Whilst his predecessor had served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and called Chile a country of migration, under Piñera, the military built several vast ditches along the border with Bolivia.
The new president, left-leaning Gabriel Boric, continued this legacy last year when he deployed more military personnel to the region.
Since then, more right-wing groups have built up an opposition campaign reminiscent of attitudes towards Mexican migrants trying to enter the United States of America under the Trump administration.
José Kast – the founder of the growing Republican Party and open supporter of the former dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet – has emerged as a prominent figure.
Kast adopted the slogan #CerremosLaFrontera or ‘close the borders’, proposed cutting diplomatic ties with Venezuela and hopes to open separate jails for non-citizens who are criminally charged.
He believes these measures will make Chile a calm, “peaceful and free place again”.
In the last presidential election, the new party obtained 27.9% of the votes. Many supporters agree with his message that foreign groups are the root cause of crime and instability in the country.
According to a survey released early this year, voters considered crime (51.9%) and migration (31.4%) the country’s main problems. Likewise, 90% of those polled agreed that there should place more restrictions on migration.
However, the think tank InSight Crime states that the number of common crimes is still lower than that recorded prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to The Student, Chilean historian Dr Fernando Pairican from the Universidad Católica in Chile gave his opinion on the current circumstances:
“My impression is that at a global level, the political situation is being characterized by a return to halting progress in matters of rights within the framework of new civil rights such as gender, ethnic or first nations’ diversity.”
From the election of Brazil’s President Jair Bolsanero in 2018, to the rise of right-wing groups like Georgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and Germany’s Alternative for Deutschland (AfD), right-wing groups have seen renewed support across the world.
Indeed, in the 2022 election for the committee tasked with rewriting the country’s constitution, the Republic Party won 23 out of the available 51 seats, giving Jose Kast the opportunity to create a draft.
This marked a clear shift from the norm in the country. Since the fall of the military dictatorship in 1990, centrist politics have dominated Chile, generating a level of stability that stood out in politically volatile Latin America.
speaks of the need for moderation in the public agenda
However, with the presidential elections approaching in 2025, Dr Pairician believes the government will remain centrist.
He argues that the rejection of the aforementioned constitution “speaks of the need for moderation in the public agenda, a process that led to the defeat of the ideas held by the right in the country.”
A progressive and a conservative bill have both been rejected by the public.
Whilst candidates hope to garner public support through their migration policies, international organisations have voiced concerns about the future of refugees in Latin America if governments continue to tighten immigration laws.
Amnesty International has said:
“Chilean authorities continue to implement illegal measures and practices, such as the requirement to self-report and the pre-admission screening for asylum applications, which impede the right to seek asylum.”
Moreover, the Student has seen long daily queues outside the Venezuelan Embassy of those hoping to obtain the necessary paperwork to stay in their new country.
The fate of refugees in Chile is yet to be revealed, and their impact on the 2025 election is uncertain; however, humanitarian aid groups have made it clear that the movement of Venezuelans will continue, urging neighbouring nations to safeguard their lives, integrity and human rights.
Image via Rebecca Johns
“Partido Republicano de Chile inscripción Servel” by Jorge Morales Piderit is marked with CC0 1.0.