Chile Expulsion Drive Grows as Entry Detections Fall

By early October 2026, Chile had expelled 1,874 foreigners, while police detections of irregular entries fell 86% from January to July, dropping from 8,610 to 1,175. Expulsions climbed 76% over the same period compared with a year earlier, according to the police report. The figures reflect a government policy that President José Antonio Kast made a pillar of his administration.

Expulsions and the people removed

The latest flight departed Santiago airport at 1:25 a.m. on Saturday 10 October, carrying 56 people to their home countries: 21 Colombians, 20 Bolivians and 15 Ecuadorians. Authorities removed 45 by administrative order and 11 by court order. Chile counts it as the tenth flight since Kast took office on 11 March.

The police report recorded 1,330 expulsions from January to July: 1,183 administrative and 147 judicial. Colombians made up the largest nationality group, with 549 removals in that period. The reports don't provide a nationality breakdown for all 1,874 people expelled so far in 2026, or say how many had criminal records.

The National Migration Service said a flight to Peru and Colombia on 30 September carried 32 Colombians and eight Peruvians. By then, the service counted 1,764 expulsions in 2026, including 1,468 after Kast took office. A flight carrying 80 people on 24 May brought the total to 780.

Chile's 2024 census counted 1,608,650 foreign-born residents, equal to 8.8% of the population. Venezuelans were the largest group, with 669,408 residents. The census describes the foreign-born population, but expulsion reports don't provide a complete nationality breakdown for everyone removed.

Government policy and security ties

Kast, a conservative, made faster removals a pillar of his government. On 19 October, the lower house passed a government bill aimed at speeding expulsions further. The Senate hadn't voted yet, and officials hadn't said whether flights at a pace of one every few weeks would continue if the bill became law.

The government figures cover removal orders and flights. They don't report flight costs, financial beneficiaries, or effects on workers and employers. Nor do they include accounts from people removed, workers, unions or migrant organizations. The published totals record the scale and legal route of removals, but leave out those other measures and experiences.

Chile confirmed on 22 September that it had joined the U.S.-led Shield of the Americas anti-cartel coalition, which President Donald Trump launched in March. The coalition is described as a framework for voluntary coordination, including intelligence sharing, joint training and help with maritime surveillance. Reporting connects Chile's security policy with Washington alongside its migration agenda, but doesn't provide figures on coalition spending or contracts.

Chile is a close U.S. security partner and the only Latin American country in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. The removals don't affect people with valid residency in Chile; they target people with administrative or judicial expulsion orders. Chileans can travel to the United States under the waiver program. The available figures distinguish residents with valid residency from people subject to expulsion orders, but don't report how many people fall into each category.