Chile Says No to the UN Migration Pact, Sparking a Scandal
What Went Down
Chile walks out of a controversial United Nations migration agreement, just before the Marrakesh rollout. The move, announced by Interior Minister Rodrigo Ubilla to Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, left opposition voices furious and Amnesty International gasping in alarm.
Dubbed a “shameful and authoritarian” act by some politicians, the decision means Chile will miss out on the early‑week talks that are shaping how countries protect, welcome, and sometimes return migrants.
The “Right to Decide” Argument
“Our position is clear,” Ubilla told the press. “Migration is not a human right. Every country can set its own entry rules.”
That stance sits uncomfortably with the pact’s aim: a non‑binding framework that many countries—Washington, Vienna, Budapest, Warsaw among them—see as encouraging mass migration.
Why Chile Is Taking a Hard Stand
- Over the last three decades, Chile’s migrant population has multiplied fivefold.
- Incoming streams come from Venezuela, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Colombia, giving the country a tangled immigration puzzle.
- Mayor‑level president Sebastián Píñera’s administration rolled out “repatriation flights” for Haitians, tightened visa checks, and waved deportations at criminals.
- These policies are an on‑mattress continuation of Píñera’s March‑in‑office pledge to toughen borders.
Critics Rumble
Senate foreign‑affairs chair Ricardo Lagos Weber frowned upon the sudden door‑closing. He called for a talk with foreign minister Roberto Ampuero:
“Holding a closed door on something this crucial is not the best way to get info,” he told El Mercurio. “I know the president leads foreign policy, but at least let’s discuss it.”
Human‑rights Blue‑Eyed On The Scene
Hugo Gutiérrez, a human‑rights lawyer‑turned‑lawmaker from Chile’s Communist Party, slammed the decision on Twitter. “Chile is walking down the same ultraright path as Trump, Netanyahu, and Bolsonaro,” he wrote.
Progressive Party members branded the move as “shameful and authoritarian.” Meanwhile, Amnesty International described the pull‑back as “alarming,” noting that Chile had originally helped shape the pact. “Letting us drop out at the last minute is a step back from our promises to migrant rights,” said Ana Piquer, the organization’s Chilean executive director.
Bottom Line
Chile’s refusal to sign the UN migration pact, a move that undermines its own earlier commitments to protect migrants, has ignited protests, political back‑lashes, and raised questions about the continent’s future immigration policies.
