Chile says closure of Venezuelan embassy makes expulsion processes difficult

• Manuel Monsalve, undersecretary of the Chilean Ministry of the Interior, argued that, given the lack of Venezuelan diplomatic representation in the southern country, the necessary documents cannot be requested to proceed with deportations | Photo: ATON

Chilean authorities have warned that the closure of the Venezuelan Embassy in the southern country is hampering the process of expelling Venezuelan citizens from that country.

Manuel Monsalve, undersecretary of the Chilean Ministry of the Interior, said that the problem arises because they cannot obtain the necessary documents for people to be transferred to their country.

“Now we are seeing the consequences of what it means to not have any kind of relationship, neither diplomatic nor consular. Because with respect to that Venezuelan person who is issued a resolution of expulsion, to expel him I need two documents that only the Venezuelan Consulate in Chile can give me. I cannot put him on the airline (plane) because I cannot have a safe-conduct pass, I have no way of verifying his identity, and therefore the country (Venezuela) will not let him in,” said Monsalve in an interview with the Chilean media. The Third, published on August 8th.

EFE/ Courtesy of the Chilean Ministry of the Interior

Safe conduct for Venezuelans.
This is a procedure that Venezuelan citizens abroad request from Venezuelan embassies and consulates. It allows them to enter their country without passports or, failing that, with an expired document.

According to official figures from the Chilean government, there are at least 8,000 expulsion decrees against Venezuelan citizens that have not been executed for various reasons. According to the Chilean media report, these could be “further delayed” due to the closure of the Venezuelan Embassy.

In this regard, Monsalve indicated that the Chilean Immigration Service (Sermig) is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find options that will allow them to verify the identity of Venezuelan citizens and obtain the necessary documentation to proceed with those returning to their country.

Expulsions of Venezuelans in Chile

Between 2018 and 2024, around 1,107 Venezuelan citizens have been expelled from Chile, according to data published by the Chilean newspaper La Tercera.

This is the total number of Venezuelans expelled from Chile per year:

-2018 (7)
-2019 (112)
-2020 (97)
-2021 (261)
-2022 (65)
-2023 (343)
-Until July 2024 (222)

Fear for the transfer of expelled Venezuelans

Sources of The Third They said that officials from the Chilean Investigative Police (PDI) had expressed their fear to the Chilean Immigration Service about the possibility of being detained in Venezuela when escorting the foreigners.

According to Chilean regulations, the deportation process requires that two PDI officers, without carrying their service weapons, accompany deportees to their final destination.

Photo courtesy

“In order to carry out judicial and administrative expulsions of Venezuelan citizens, the consular representation of that country must verify the identity, document and authorize its compatriots within the national territory, as well as the escort officers who must necessarily accompany those expelled to Venezuela,” clarified a source from the National Headquarters of Migration and International Police (Jenamig) of the PDI.

He explained that in order to carry out the expulsion of foreign citizens, the PDI coordinates all the procedures with the Immigration Service, which is responsible for acquiring the airline tickets, both for the foreigners who will be deported and for the officials.

In this regard, the Chilean government is considering carrying out the expulsions with PDI officials to Bogotá (Colombia), and from there allowing the foreigners to continue alone to Caracas. However, the decision would depend on the position of the airlines.

Closure of the Venezuelan Embassy in Chile

On July 29, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil He called on diplomatic representatives from at least seven countries in the region, Among them, Chile, left the country for not recognizing the results of the presidential elections of July 28, issued by the National Electoral Council (CNE).

Gil also ordered his diplomatic officials to withdraw from the embassies of Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.

Later, on July 29, the Venezuelan Embassy in Chile published a statement announcing the indefinite suspension of all consular procedures.

EFE/PRESIDENCE OF CHILE

These arrests were criticized by the Chilean government. The authorities of that country considered that with Venezuela’s decision, more than 700 Venezuelans living in the southern nation were left “abandoned.”

“We have done nothing more than maintain what we believe to be correct: that the election results be transparent and verifiable by observers not compromised with the current government through the full publication of the minutes. As of the time I write these lines, this has not happened,” Boric commented in a post on his X account on July 29.

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