Kast’s success largely stemmed from his ability to fuse the electorate’s top two concerns: crime and migration. While Chile remains one of the safest countries in Latin America, transnational criminal groups have played a role in an uptick in violent crime that, though far less extreme than popularly perceived, has captured public attention. Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua has taken advantage of the country’s porous northern border to traffic drugs and weapons that have been linked to a series of particularly high profile crimes, contributing to a backlash against migrants—especially Venezuelans—even though they are often among the primary victims of this violence. Kast has exploited these anxieties, painting a dark picture of a country where “criminals are free and citizens are living as if in a prison,” blaming migrants in sweeping terms, calling for walls and electric fences on the border with Peru, and vowing to begin mass deportations.

Kast’s ascent will affect far more than security and migration. A devout Catholic and father of nine, he opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, and what he calls “gender ideology.” A fan of neoliberal economic policies, he has promised sweeping spending cuts. Most troubling for Chilean progressives, however, is his open admiration for former dictator Augusto Pinochet. Writing for the New York Times, Ariel Dorfman argues that Kast’s support for Pinochet makes the country’s turn towards “nativist authoritarianism” unique in the post-dictatorship era. For Dorfman, his willingness to release former military officials convicted of heinous crimes and his nostalgia for a dictatorship that claimed thousands of lives constitute a “political and ethical earthquake” in a country where “many considered the long struggle for democracy to have been won.”

Xenophobia and fear of crime alone, however, do not explain Kast’s victory. Public disappointment with the left was crucial as well. Elected on promises of structural reform after the 2019 popular uprising, left-wing President Gabriel Boric struggled to live up to the immense expectations thrust upon him. A progressive new constitution was voted down, his deployment of the military against Mapuche communities incensed many of his supporters, and economic growth faltered. These issues overshadowed the administration’s concrete gains: a more just foreign policy, expanded healthcare access for the poor, protections for gig workers, pension reform, a rise in the minimum wage, and the introduction of a 40-hour work week. As labor minister, Jara played a key role in many of these accomplishments, but it was not enough to overcome the malaise and disillusionment that shaped the election.

Kast will not assume power until March, but the shockwaves are already being felt across the region. Following in the footsteps of other Latin American conservatives, his administration is expected to align closely with US foreign policy imperatives. During a visit to Argentina, he promised to support “any situation” aimed at removing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom he called a “narco-dictator.” Kast’s victory prompted various reactions from the region’s progressive leaders. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva offered muted congratulations, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denounced Pinochet’s legacy and called his victory a “moment of reflection” for progressives, and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro vowed to never “shake hands with a Nazi.”*

From NACLA Update, Dec. 19. Slightly edited. Internal links added.

*Kast’s German immigrant father had been a youthful member of the Nazi party in the 1940s. (The Guardian)

Image: Nicolas Raymond via Flickr

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Photo: Jaber Jehad Badwan via Wikimedia Commons

The bill, which narrowly passed in the House July 3 with no Democratic support but only two no votes from Republicans, represents a massive shift of funds from basic social programs such as Medicare to Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose budget will now overshadow that of the FBI. The ICE detention budget is to now outstrip that of the federal Bureau of Prisons, aiming at capacity to hold over 100,000 detainees. The bill passed the Senate July 1, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a 50-50 tie to push it over the top. (The Guardian, FactCheck, PBS)

The White House is meanwhile sending 200 Marines to Florida to assist ICE officers, according to the US Northern Command. Some 70 Florida National Guard troops have already been deployed to the newly built remote state-run immigration detention site deep in the Everglades officially dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” which Trump personally visited July 1. Both Florida and US officials have made much of the fact that the swamps surrounding the camp on a disused airstrip are infested with alligators. The federal Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, even tweeted an AI-generated image of a phalanx of alligators wearing ICE caps outside a concentration camp.

Pentagon troops, already deployed to California, are also to be mobilized to back up ICE in Louisiana and Texas. (Military.com, ABC, Florida Phoenix, NewsHour)

Image: Department of Homeland Security via Florida Phoenix

From The New Humanitarian, Jan. 24

See our last reports on Remain in Mexico, CBP One, and Trump’s last state of emergency at the border.

Image: White House

Tusk justified this move on X (formerly Twitter) as necessary in light of Belarus’ mass transfers of migrants across the border, which he called an act of “hybrid warfare” to threaten Polish national security. According to Tusk, his proposal has precedent by a Finnish law earlier this year, which temporarily blocked asylum seekers entering from Russia. The measure would, however, not apply to refugees fleeing Ukraine.

A response from the European Commission was delivered by spokesperson Anitta Hipper, who also reminded Poland of its obligations under international law. She stated at a press conference that the commission would “stay in touch” with Poland over the measures. The commission refrained from pointing toward the EU’s recently adopted New Pact on Migration & Asylum, which contains an explicit instrument for situations of “instrumentalization” of migrants for poitical pressure, the Crisis & Force Majeure Regulation. Tusk was quoted by Le Monde as stating: “We are not going to respect or apply any European idea that… hinders our security. I’m thinking here of the EU migration pact.”

Poland’s proposal comes after the Netherlands and Hungary requested to opt out from EU asylum regulations under the New Pact, and Germany introduced temporary border controls to limit irregular migration, which Tusk had criticized as a breach of EU law.

From Jurist, Oct. 16. Used with permission.

See our last report on the Poland-Belarus border crisis.

Photo: Visegrad24

The Israeli takeover of the Corridor came three days after a rare exchange of fire between the IDF and Egyptian troops at the Rafah crossing, resulting in the death of two young Egyptian conscripts. The deaths fueled anger and drew crowds in the rural villages where they were buried. In a breach of protocol, the funerals were not attended by any army or government officials, and the Egyptian government has reportedly imposed a “media gag” concerning the deaths. Israel acknowedges a “shooting incident” at the border, and says the IDF is conducting an investigation.

As a part of the Corridor operation, the IDF has closed the Kerem Abu Salem Crossing, where the borders of Israel, Egypt and Gaza meet, and is imposing harsh restrictions on the passage of aid into the Strip through this route. The seizure of the Corridor comes in the context of the overall IDF operation in Rafah, which Israel is calling “limited” in deference to international condemnation and US exhortations to put off the offensive until measures are in place to protect civilians. (LWJ, AA, VN, JNS, DW, CNN, NYT, Mada Masr, Mada Masr, ToI, The Guardian, The Telegraph)

Around one million people have already fled Israel’s Rafah invasion, which began on May 6, according to UN figures. Prior to the offensive, Rafah was hosting around 1.4 million Palestinians—around 1.1 million of them already forcibly displaced. It was also the base of operations and logistics hub for aid agencies. A letter signed by 19 aid groups on May 28 said Israel’s offensive has meant their ability to respond has “all but crumbled” and that they are now expecting to see “an acceleration in deaths from starvation, disease and denied medical assistance.” The already insufficient amount of aid being allowed to enter Gaza has collapsed, the letter said, while the opening of new crossing points in the north of Strip and the US-built floating pier are “cosmetic” changes creating “an illusion of improvement.”

The US pier, which cost around $320 million to construct, has already broken apart due to strong winds and choppy seas after being plagued by logistical and security challenges during just over a week of operation. President Joe Biden previously said Israeli troops entering “population centers” in Rafah was a red line, and that he would withhold US weapons from Israel if it were crossed. That red line, however, has seemed to recede as Israeli forces have advanced, while a senior Israeli official, National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, said he expected the military campaign in Gaza to last through the end of the year.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to halt its assault on Rafah on May 24—an order Israel has “flagrantly disregarded,” according to a group of UN experts, who called for the international community to impose sanctions and take other measures to force Israel to comply with international law. And while international attention has been focused on Rafah, Israel has also stepped up its military activity throughout Gaza, and the hobbling of aid efforts is having an impact across the Strip. (The New Humanitarian)

Photo: IDF via JNS

On Feb. 7, Netanyahu rejected a ceasefire proposal put forward by Hamas, the Palestinian political and militant group that governs Gaza. Resisting growing US pressure for a long-term pause in fighting, he vowed that Israel will continue the war until it achieves “absolute victory.” Many experts, however, believe the goal of completely destroying Hamas is unachievable, while others accuse Israel of waging a disproportionate response that could amount to ethnic cleansing or even genocide.

From The New Humanitarian, Feb. 9

See our last report on genocide accusations against Israel.

Photo: Yousef Hammash/NRC

Judge Moses found that “the balance of interests favors granting an injunction, but just barely.” The decision weighed Texas’ interest in deterring unlawful activity and avoiding the costs associated with repairing broken fencing, against US Customs & Border Protection’s  interest in “allowing [Border Patrol] agents to address medical emergencies.” The order includes an exception to permit CBP agents to continue cutting or moving the concertina wire to aid individuals in medical distress.

From Jurist, Oct. 31. Used with permission.

Note: The federal government is itself building new fencing along the border elsewhere in Texas.

See our last report on the struggle in Texas.

Photo: Christoph Buchel via Radical History Review

Despite the waiver, President Joe Biden argued that Congress gave him no choice in the move, as funds for construction of that sector of border wall had already been allocated before he took office: “The money was appropriated for the border wall. I tried to get them to re-appropriate, to redirect that money. They didn’t. They wouldn’t. And, in the meantime, there’s nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for whatever is appropriated. I can’t stop that.”

However, the White House also referred to the barrier as an urgent necessity to stop illegal entries in that sector of South Texas. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden had promised: “There will not be another foot of wall constructed in my administration.” (AP, PBS NewsHour, PBS NewsHour, PRI)

Photo via FWS

In response to the recovery of the two bodies, Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador called the buoys “inhumane.” Mexican authorities maintain that Texas’ installation of the buoys violates Mexico’s sovereignty. They cite two treaties, the Water Treaty of 1944 and the Boundary Treaty of 1970, which govern the waters that separate Mexico and the US. Any interference with the flow of these waters potentially violates the treaties.

Mexican authorities also continue to claim that the buoys threaten the human rights and safety of migrants passing through the Rio Grande—a claim echoed by Human Rights Watch.

In a statement to the press, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety Steve McCraw dismissed concerns that the deaths were related to the buoys. McCraw said, “[P]reliminary information suggests [the second discovered body] drowned upstream from the marine barrier and floated into the buoys.” A spokesperson for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down on McCraw’s statement, saying that the Mexican government is “flat-out wrong.”

The buoys are currently the subject of a lawsuit between the DoJ and the state of Texas. The DoJ alleges that Texas violated the Rivers and Harbors Act by failing to obtain federal authorization for the buoys prior to their installation. Like Mexico and HRW, the DoJ also voiced human rights and public safety concerns over the buoys. In response to the lawsuit, Abbott indicated the buoys would remain in place, writing: “Mr. President, Texas will see you in court.”

From Jurist, Aug. 4. Used with permission.

See our last report on the struggle in Texas.

Map: Google