Chile expels Venezuelan migrants via commercial flights: they hope to join Caracas in rescheduling the departure of more foreigners with irregular status

Chile’s government has resumed deportations of foreigners, including Venezuelans, who were in irregular circumstances or with a criminal history.

A week ago, on Thursday, November 23, 2023, Chile’s Interior Minister Carolina Tohá stated that a plane carrying 60 Venezuelan migrants expelled from Chile could not take off because the government of Venezuela had “not authorized” the departure. of the flight and landing on its territory.

There was no response from Caracas, at least not publicly. And Chile announced that there would be diplomatic contacts to further the issue.

This week it was learned that some Venezuelans were expelled from Chilean territory when they were sent on commercial flights.

“We could not regularize ourselves, obtaining documents in Venezuela is expensive and almost impossible”: what happened to the Venezuelans exposed to deportation after the deadline passed in Peru?

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), at least 7.7 million Venezuelans have migrated from their country and about 444,000 have settled in Chile, Yahoo News reported citing Reuters data.

Tohá’s statements were accompanied by the Undersecretary of the Interior of Chile, Manuel Monsalve: “Their identity was confirmed, the plane was hired to expel them (…) but a single decision of the Venezuelan Aviation Authority ruined everything because “he said: no, I do not give you permission to fly to Venezuela,” the Reuters agency reported, citing Chilean news program 24 Horas.

Monsalve himself reported on November 23 that he is preparing a trip to Venezuela that he hopes to complete – he said – before December 15 to reach an agreement with the government of Nicolás Maduro on this issue.

“Every effort is being made to resume diplomatic dialogues, hold security talks, propose agreements and meet them in person,” the Undersecretary said on the status of the efforts, EFE published.

Measures on irregular migration in Chile

Days before, on Sunday, November 19, Monsalve announced new measures to “facilitate” the deportations of undocumented migrants.

These revolve around “strengthening immigration control and deportation capabilities” and explained – EFE explained – that the government will use “a power given by the Migration Act to the Deputy Minister of the Interior to deport where it is judged that there is a risk exists for safety within “.

Chile is trying to protect itself to stop insecurity and that is why Monsalve has pointed out that an attempt will be made to change the power of the Investigative Police (PDI) so that the PDI can enter the house to arrest anyone who has already issued an eviction notice. , and that the appeal period for those to be deported will be reduced from 10 to 5 days, EFE continued.

Commercial flights and deportations of Venezuelans

The issue of insecurity in Chile is controversial. According to authorities, as the Spanish News Agency recalls, several kidnappings for extortion and a grenade attack on a police officer have taken place in recent weeks, all involving foreigners.

From the opposition – EFE published a week ago – “they have warned that if the executive does not deport the 12,000 migrants already under deportation orders before the end of the year, they will file a constitutional accusation against the head of the Interior.”

In BíoBío, on Monday, November 27, they indicated that, after the standoff with the plane, “one of the doubts that this circumstance has left is what would happen to the migrants who had an administrative deportation order.”

Monsalve clarified the situation: “Those who were in the investigative police stations, some had already been put on commercial flights” and others would be executed on Monday.

“Those who were detained are being deported on commercial flights, they have already been deported,” Manuel Monsalve explained.

In El Nacional they quoted statements from a ministerial spokesperson for the Chilean government, Camila Vallejo: “The administrative expulsions are awaiting the rescheduling of the flights and we are working hard on this and we hope that this will happen as soon as possible. “

The judicial evictions are taking place and we are waiting until we can proceed with the administrative evictions

Minister Camila Vallejo in T13

Vallejo said that “through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as a government, we have communicated very strongly to the Venezuelan Foreign Minister how important it is for our country to carry out the deportations.”

He explained to T13 early this week that of the 12 eligible for administrative deportation, four have already been deported, while another four people are awaiting trial for protection applications.

That Chilean media reported that “13 tickets have been purchased for commercial flights‘ that would leave for Venezuela this week.

All people with judicial deportation orders, they noted, “are deprived of their liberty in various prisons in the country.” (JO)