Chile's Kast Puts Security and Migration at Centre of UN Address

Chile's President José Antonio Kast placed security and migration at the centre of his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, telling the chamber that his government has spent its first six months restoring order after years of instability.

Kast recalled the unrest that began in October 2019, describing a period in which Chile "collapsed" as violent protests gripped the streets for months. Investment dried up, employment stalled and homicide rates climbed to levels unseen in the country's modern history, which he attributed to the growth of organised crime.

Six months into his administration, Kast said the country is safer, more competitive and less bureaucratic. He cited an 11.5 per cent decline in the homicide rate in the first half of this year, putting Chile close to pre-pandemic levels. Border controls have been tightened, with the "border cube" plan cutting irregular entries by 86 per cent, while deportations rose by 50 per cent compared with the previous year. "Come through the front door, not the back window, with your papers in order," he said.

Kast criticised what he called poor decisions by previous governments on security and migration, and said his election marked Chile's return. He warned that the task is not finished but only beginning, adding that a safer country is one with greater confidence, and that confidence brings growth, employment and investment.

Turning to regional affairs, Kast said Latin American governments are coordinating more genuinely than at any time in recent memory, moving beyond statements to concrete action against transnational organised crime, migration management and joint development. He described Latin America as the continent of the future and said relations with Chile's immediate neighbours — Peru, Bolivia and Argentina — are at a high point.

On Venezuela, he said doors long closed have opened under new leadership. Chile, he added, will neither refuse to recognise the change nor align itself with it unconditionally, but will assess reality as it stands, support change where it exists and regard the moment as a historic opportunity for Venezuela.

Kast also linked global conflicts to domestic economic strain, noting that Chile imports virtually all the oil it consumes. Wars, he said, are not abstract geopolitics but are felt in the cost of bread, transport and crops, keeping inflation elevated, interest rates high and investment on hold. Entire countries that were beginning to take off have stalled because of wars they did not start and cannot stop, he said, calling unequivocally for wars to cease.

Kast is scheduled to take part in the Shield of the Americas summit, held on the sidelines of the General Assembly.