- Immigrant Times
- Dec 28, 2025
- 5 min read
Chile’s new hard line on immigration
President-elect José Kast’s threat to deport around 300,000 people has unsettled migrant communities and alarmed Chile’s labour-intensive economic sectors.
By The Immigrant Times
Chile’s President-elect José Antonio Kast threatens some 300,000 migrants with deportation, many of whom work in low-wage sectors. (Photo: Lucas Aguayo Araos)
December 2025: The election of far-right politician José Antonio Kast as Chile’s next president marks a decisive shift in the country’s political and social direction. Central to Kast’s campaign was a hard-line stance on immigration, particularly irregular migration, which he blamed for rising crime, social instability, and pressure on public services. His promises of mass expulsions, border militarisation, and punitive measures against undocumented migrants have raised alarm both within Chile and across Latin America.
Yet Chile’s migration story, and the role immigrants play in its economy and society, is far more complex than campaign slogans suggest. As Kast prepares to take office, the gap between political rhetoric and economic reality is coming sharply into focus.
Kast’s migration narrative
Throughout his campaign, José Antonio Kast framed irregular migration as a central cause of Chile’s current crises. He repeatedly claimed that undocumented migrants were responsible for rising crime rates, drug trafficking, and social unrest, particularly in the country’s northern regions.
Kast has stated that at least 300,000 migrants in Chile are in an irregular situation, out of an estimated two million foreign-born residents. His proposed response is uncompromising: undocumented migrants should leave the country voluntarily before he takes office on 11 March 2026 or face deportation once his government is installed.
“We never said that on the first day we would be able to expel 300,000 people,” Kast said during a December press conference in Buenos Aires. “But the invitation is clear: anyone who wants to be in Chile must do so legally.”
Under his plan, dubbed ‘Escudo Fronterizo’ (Border Shield), Kast proposes a sweeping security-first approach to migration control. Measures include five-metre-high border walls, ditches, thermal radars, facial-recognition drones, and increased use of state force at border crossings. Employers who hire undocumented workers would face sanctions, while landlords would be prohibited from renting to people without legal status.
Although Kast moderated his language late in the campaign, shifting from promises of mass expulsions to ‘inviting’ migrants to leave, he maintained a countdown of days remaining for irregular migrants to exit Chile voluntarily. Those who fail to do so, he warned, could be detained and permanently barred from re-entering the country.
Kast’s rhetoric resonated with voters anxious about public safety and economic insecurity. But it also revived a familiar pattern in global politics: attributing complex social problems to migrants, often without evidence to support the claims.
Migrant labour is essential to Chile’s economy
Chile has undergone a dramatic demographic transformation over the past decade. Once a country of emigration, it has become one of South America’s primary destinations for migrants, drawn by its relative political stability and economic opportunities.
Today, migrants in Chile come predominantly from Venezuela, Peru, Haiti, Colombia, and Bolivia. Venezuelans now constitute the largest migrant group, many having fled economic collapse, political repression, and humanitarian crisis at home. Haitians arrived in significant numbers after the 2010 earthquake, while Bolivian and Peruvian migration reflects long-standing regional labour mobility.
Undocumented migrants, estimated at between 300,000 and 340,000 people, are disproportionately concentrated in low-wage, labour-intensive sectors. These include:
• Agriculture and seasonal harvesting
• Construction
• Domestic and care work
• Hospitality and food services
• Informal retail and street vending
Many migrants work in conditions characterised by job insecurity, low pay, and limited legal protection. Ironically, it is precisely their irregular status that makes them vulnerable to exploitation, a dynamic that benefits unscrupulous employers while keeping costs down across entire sectors of the economy.
Contrary to popular perception, available data suggest that migrants in Chile are more likely to be of working age and less likely to rely heavily on social benefits than the native-born population.
Chile’s economy has quietly become dependent on migrant labour. Immigrants fill critical gaps in sectors struggling with labour shortages, particularly agriculture, construction, logistics, and care services.
Numerous studies in Chile and across the region indicate that migrants contribute more in taxes and labour than they consume in public services over the medium term. Their presence supports productivity, stabilises consumer demand, and helps sustain small businesses, especially in urban areas.
A large-scale expulsion of undocumented migrants would therefore carry significant economic consequences. Employers would face acute labour shortages, production costs would rise, and informal work would likely increase rather than disappear. Entire local economies, particularly in northern Chile, could be disrupted.
There are also logistical and financial constraints. As Kast himself has acknowledged, Chile lacks the capacity to deport hundreds of thousands of people quickly. Deportation operations are costly, legally complex, and often dependent on cooperation from countries of origin, many of which are already struggling to absorb returning populations.
Beyond economics, there is the risk of driving migrants further underground, increasing vulnerability to exploitation, homelessness, and organised crime, outcomes that run counter to the stated goal of improving public safety.
Latin America responds to Kast
Kast’s migration proposals have triggered strong reactions beyond Chile’s borders. He has reportedly held talks with the presidents of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, and El Salvador, proposing the creation of a so-called ‘humanitarian corridor’ to facilitate coordinated returns.
However, not all regional leaders have welcomed his approach. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro responded angrily, warning Kast against targeting Venezuelan nationals. Speaking on his television programme, Maduro accused the president-elect of ‘Pinochetism’ and insisted that Venezuelans in Chile have rights protected by the Chilean constitution. His remarks underscored the sensitivity of migration diplomacy in a region where millions of people are on the move.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum took a more measured but firm stance, criticising the criminalisation of migrants and emphasising that migration is driven by necessity, not choice. “People do not migrate for pleasure,” she said, reaffirming Mexico’s position that development, cooperation, and rights protection are the only sustainable responses to migration.
These reactions highlight a broader regional divide: between governments prioritising enforcement and deterrence, and those advocating structural solutions rooted in development and human rights. José Antonio Kast’s presidency may mark a turning point in Chile’s migration policy. While his hardline approach addresses public anxieties, it risks deepening social divisions, harming the economy, and straining regional relations.
Further reading: South American migration || Venezuelan migrants boost economies ||
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