Chile: Swing to the right concerns missionaries

Dan Harding with migrants in Chile

Source: Columbans in Chile

Chile has joined the swing to the right in Latin America - Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, and Ecuador - with its presidential election two weeks ago, by electing a far-right candidate, José Antonio Kast.

Kast is a hardline conservative who has praised General Augusto Pinochet, Chile's former right-wing dictator whose US-backed coup ushered in 17 years of military rule marked by torture, disappearances and censorship. His German-born father was a member of the Nazi Party and his older brother Miguel was a minister under Pinochet.

Columban missionaries in Chile warn that Kast will challenge work for refugees and the environment in the country. "In relation to our Columban priorities - migrants and protecting biodiversity - the election of a new president from the political right will bring multiple challenges for Columban mission in the country," they say.

Kast, a practising Catholic, built his campaign on the themes of crime, migration, and sharp government spending cuts. Chile has seen a recent rise in violent crime, often blamed on the arrival of undocumented immigrants. Although only a tiny fraction of immigrants have committed crimes since arriving in Chile, public perception has been fed a different view. Migrants themselves are often victims of crime as much as anyone else, challenging common assumptions and emphasizing the complexity of the issue.

Estimates suggest there are between 700,000 and 900,000 Venezuelans living in Chile, with approximately 330,000 of these being undocumented. Before the new 2022 Migration Law, undocumented immigrants could apply for visas upon arrival in Chile. Now, they must apply for visas outside the country. Kast has promised to make being an "illegal migrant" in Chile a crime.

Columbans say, "the overall majority of immigrants have come to Chile escaping oppression and poverty, seeking a better life." The right to sanctuary for refugees is rooted in international law, primarily Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, granting the right to seek asylum from persecution, and the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, which outlines protections, crucially preventing return to danger. Kast plans to expel undocumented immigrants and to build five-metre-high walls and trenches along the Peruvian and Bolivian borders to deter entry.

Kast also takes the view that environmentalism hinders investment in Chile. He proposes relaxing environmental regulations to accelerate investment.

He has promised to cut public spending by $6 billion within 18 months. Columbans say, "many Chileans from socio-economically disadvantaged areas, including our Columban parishes, are deeply concerned about cuts to social programmes, health care, education, and pensions, making the poor suffer the most from these cuts."