SANTIAGO, April 16 (Reuters) – The government of Chile’s new President Jose Antonio Kast carried out its first deportation flight on Thursday, authorities said, fulfilling a campaign pledge to tighten immigration controls.
Deputy Interior Minister Maximo Pavez told reporters that a flight carrying 40 foreign nationals departed from the northern city of Iquique for Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador.
The government declined to say how many such flights it intended to carry out per month.
“This flight, the first of many, is part of a commitment and an immigration reform plan that we have been working on since this government took office on March 11,” Pavez said. “From now on, we will intensify these measures through a planned approach.”
Of those deported, 15 were removed by court order for crimes including robbery and drug offenses, while 25 faced administrative issues, according to a government statement.
Kast, who campaigned on a platform linking illegal immigration to rising crime, has urged undocumented residents to leave the country or risk deportation.
Frank Sauerbaum, head of Chile’s immigration service, said 2,180 Venezuelans have voluntarily left Chile since Kast’s election.
(Reporting by Fabian CamberoEditing by Bill Berkrot)
