The president of Chile, José Antonio Kast, said this Monday at a press conference in Buenos Aires that his Government is going to «move forward step by step in the expulsion of irregular migrants» and trusted that Venezuelans and other foreigners without papers will leave the country voluntarily.
«We have called on the people who entered Chile through the back door to leave (…) it is a warning for people to comply with the law,» he stated.
Kast spoke this way at a press conference in Buenos Aires after meeting with his counterpart Javier Milei, on the occasion of his first official trip abroad as president of Chile.
«We are giving a warning to people to comply with the law. We do not want to generate social unrest, but we do want to face incivilities throughout the national territory and in any manifestations that go beyond the legal framework, including the issue of irregular immigration,» he added.
Kast wants undocumented migrants to leave the country and start their residency application from scratch, which would leave thousands of people helpless because they have no assurance that they can return.
Changes in Venezuela so that migrants leave Chile
He also trusted that Venezuelans will start leaving voluntarily once flights to the Caribbean country are ordered and commented that the supposed humanitarian corridor he spoke about during his electoral campaign to expel migrants would be land-based and could be used for countries like Peru or Colombia.
«It has been made much easier to start (the corridor) with the radical changes that have taken place in Venezuela, with the departure of the narco-dictator Maduro,» he emphasized.
«We hope that flights (to Venezuela) can be restored at some point and that this will in part avoid the need for a land humanitarian corridor» with that country, he detailed.
