Chile Senate approves law to expedite irregular migrant deportations

The Chilean Senate has approved a bill to streamline the administrative deportation of irregular migrants, following a final report from a joint commission. The law, which received 37 votes in favor and one abstention, modifies the Migration and Foreigners Act to grant the Investigative Police (PDI) greater powers to locate and detain individuals with active deportation orders.

Under the new regulations, the PDI may request judicial authorization to enter private residences to apprehend persons subject to firm deportation orders. A guarantee judge must resolve such requests within 24 hours. Additionally, the National Migration Service is now authorized to request personal and contact information from private individuals, companies, and public officials to facilitate notifications, though protections remain for minors and health or educational facilities.

Other key provisions include increasing the minimum re-entry ban from three to five years and establishing mechanisms for the immediate deportation of irregular migrants facing certain criminal proceedings. The law also reduces the timeframe for filing legal appeals from ten to five days and stipulates that filing a judicial resource will no longer automatically suspend the deportation process. The initiative, originally introduced under the Boric administration and advanced by the Kast administration, aims to increase the effectiveness of migration enforcement.