Chilean Government’s Response to the Venezuelan Migration and Refugee Crisis (2018-2022)

Through documentary analysis, this qualitative study examines Chile’s response to the crisis of Venezuelan migrants and refugees, critically evaluating the implemented measures: the requirement of consular visas, de facto denial of refuge, and optimization of deportation processes. It is argued that these measures result from a migration policy that combines securitization, economization, and false humanitarianism, with negative migrant selectivity at its core, evidenced in juridical-administrative practices and irregular entries of Venezuelan and Haitian citizens. Through three fundamental critiques— decisions not based on evidence, exceptional legal treatment, and governmental incapacity to coordinate a multilateral response—this work contends that the increase in irregularity since 2018 is not solely attributable to the Venezuelan crisis itself but also to the State’s response to displacement over the past decade.