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Chile Begins Deportation Flights Under Kast

The move signals a security-first shift under Kast with plans for steady removals of people without legal status.

Overview

  • Chile carried out its first deportation flight and Kast called it the first in a long series aimed at sustained removals.
  • The initial group included 40 people from Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador, according to official reports.
  • Deputy interior minister Máximo Pavez said the government will step up flights and also send people home by bus.
  • Since taking office in March, the administration has started digging border trenches with Peru and Bolivia and canceled a plan to grant papers to about 180,000 foreigners.
  • Kast ran on a hard line on irregular migration, with officials estimating about 330,000 people are in Chile without legal status and noting the prior government expelled 6,600 over five years.