Santiago: As Chile heads toward a decisive presidential runoff, Archbishop Sergio Pérez de Arce of Concepción is raising concerns over the harsh tone of the national debate on irregular migration. With security, rising crime, and border tensions dominating public discourse, the archbishop warns that political proposals must move beyond threats and simplistic solutions.
Chileans will soon choose between two candidates left-leaning former minister Jeannette Jara and conservative José Antonio Kast of the Republican Party to succeed President Gabriel Boric. Both contenders have placed migration at the heart of their campaigns, reflecting widespread anxiety over the influx of undocumented migrants, particularly along the northern border with Peru.
Kast has drawn strong reactions after promising that undocumented migrants would have 100 days to voluntarily leave Chile if he becomes president, or face immediate expulsion. The measure, he argues, is necessary to restore order and protect public safety.
Jara, representing the Communist Party, has backed a proposal first floated by liberal candidate Franco Parisi, advocating a “digital wall” at the border using biometric systems and enhanced surveillance technology to curb illegal entry. She dismissed Kast’s 100-day ultimatum as nothing more than “a campaign maneuver.”
The political debate has intensified following Peru’s decision to significantly reinforce its border with Chile, deploying military units and tightening entry controls. The move has left nearly 100 migrants stuck in northern Chile, unable to cross into Peru or regularize their status in Chile.
The humanitarian crisis unfolding in the desert border region prompted Archbishop Pérez de Arce to intervene in a widely discussed column titled “Is It Really Just ‘You Leave or We Expel You’?”
The archbishop argued that migration cannot be reduced to expulsion deadlines or hardline threats.
“The answer to people in irregular situations cannot simply be: ‘Leave now or we will expel you with nothing but the clothes you are wearing,’” he wrote.
He noted that many undocumented migrants have lived in Chile for years, contributing to local economies, building families, and raising children who are legally Chilean. Others have attempted to regularize their status but have found bureaucratic barriers at every turn.
To force them to leave now, he warned, would be both dangerous and inhumane.
“Leaving Chile today means stepping into uncertainty,” he said, referring to closed borders, regional instability, and Venezuela’s ongoing political crisis and strained relations with the United States. “It exposes individuals and families to new and unsafe displacements.”
Archbishop Pérez de Arce questioned whether a complex humanitarian issue could be addressed through punitive slogans.
“Can Chilean society truly offer only two choices ‘you leave or we kick you out’? Can politics be reduced to threats when dealing with vulnerable human realities?” he asked.
He urged leaders and presidential candidates to pursue balanced, compassionate approaches grounded in human dignity.
“It is neither humane nor rational, nor compatible with the Gospel,” he stressed. “Better solutions exist, and that is what we expect from those seeking to govern.”
As Chile prepares for another pivotal election, the archbishop’s words echo a broader concern: that political rhetoric must not overshadow the moral responsibility to protect the dignity of every person especially those already living in precarious circumstances.