José Antonio Kast became president of Chile with a speech against illegal immigration. He won the elections decisively and upon taking office decided to dedicate himself to the task of beginning to fulfill his promises of fortify the northern border where thousands of Venezuelans have arrived, but also Haitians and citizens of other countries in the region. The measures that the far-right government plans to carry out cost a lot of money and Kast, some analysts point out, will soon have to decide whether to do so. an exception to your economic adjustment which contemplates a reduction in public spending of 3% to save 3,000 million dollars in the first 18 months, or its battery of measures frays, especially with regard to the works that must be carried out over an area of 500 kilometers.
In Chile they live more than 300,000 illegal immigrants. The authorities intend in principle to issue 37,564 expulsion orders and soon double that number. These procedures are not free for the State. Kast also wants to make irregular entry into the country a crime. It is also proposed to modify the Immigration and Immigration Law to limit the access of foreigners who do not have their papers in order to social benefits. At the same time, it is proposed to reach an agreement with Venezuela to receive those expelled who came from that country.
But the most colorful and complex action, the one he described in detail during his campaign, in the midst of controversies, is called Border Shield. The president visited the northern city of Arica to kick off the huge ditches. “We want to use backhoes to build a sovereign Chile“, he said. More than 26,000 people crossed the non-enabled border crossings in 2025. Kast spoke of territorial “violation” and associated these entries with drug trafficking and other forms of organized crime.. “We are closing this window,” said the president and assured that 185,000 people had crossed it in previous years.
His image next to the powerful machine It was inspired by those that Donald Trump took at the time on the United States border with Mexico. It’s not the same flow or the same challenge. But the new authorities have as reference the gestures and actions of the Republican billionaire. His “Emergency Government” does not hide the sources of inspiration that are also reflected in the decision to withdraw 43 environmental decrees from the previous presidency of Gabriel Boric.
Drones and backhoes
“North”, as a cardinal point, therefore has two meanings for Kast. One, Washington. His administration has resolved a programmatic approach that promises some short circuits because China It is Chile’s main trading partner. Both countries have signed a free trade agreement two decades ago. The other “north” refers to the border that will be guarded with almost military rigor with physical barriers, detection technology, drones, excavations and perimeter electrical infrastructure. The large trench, three meters wide and three meters deep, will initially extend 30 kilometers. It would just be the beginning. Kast recognized that this groove It’s not going to “stop everything” but it represents a virtuous beginning because “many kilometers will be blocked.”
Some specialists recognize that the image of the ditch has had a certain communication impact and strengthened the support of a large part of the citizens for this project, but they warn that it will not completely stop the torrent of illegal migration, among other reasons due to the size of the territory and its isolation from large cities. The effectiveness of the so-called Border Shield necessarily requires a understanding with neighbors. Peru and Bolivia have avoided speaking out for the moment.
Beyond the resounding advances of the backhoes, the question of financing the plan is beginning to take on public discussion. Rodrigo Sandoval was director of the Department of Immigration and Migration of the Ministry of the Interior during the second government of Michelle Bachelet. The former official warned that the maintenance of the Border Shield is very expensive. It’s not just about the money spent on technology and staff. Geography plays against the Government’s budgetary efforts. The ditches constitute a financing black hole. “You have to know the territory to know that that hole is covered again with the wind itself. The same geographical reality is filling in those places that the ditches are drilling.” Once the ground has been drilled, a zero-sum game begins. “I have the impression that the cost of installing the ditch is much lower than the cost of maintaining it.” The wind does not play in favor of the Border Shield.
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