Jose Antonio Kast to Recruit Ecuador for Deportation Corridor

In a bid to fulfill his campaign promise of mass deportations, Chilean President-elect Jose Antonio Kast has begun courting regional leaders to establish a “humanitarian corridor” for the return of irregular migrants to Venezuela.

On Tuesday, Kast met privately with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa at the Carondelet Palace in Quito. According to reporting by El Pais, Kast proposed a coordinated effort between Chile, Peru, and Ecuador to facilitate the return of undocumented migrants to their country of origin.

“We have to search by air, land, or sea, for the fastest ways to return dignity to those people and so they can return to their homeland,” Kast stated after the meeting, though he stopped short of setting specific deadlines.

Kast’s deportation corridor has significant challenges ahead 

The proposal faces significant diplomatic hurdles. Relations between Chile and the Venezuelan regime have been severed since August 2024, following disputes over the reelection of Nicolas Maduro. Kast, a hard-right leader who assumes office on March 11, 2026, has ruled out re-establishing ties with Caracas, stating it is “practically impossible to talk with someone who has not respected democracy.”

However, Kast insists that not recognizing the “dictatorship” does not absolve Venezuela of the responsibility to receive its nationals. He has also publicly called on leftist presidents Gustavo Petro of Colombia and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil to collaborate on the corridor plan.

Comienza una nueva era en las relaciones entre Chile y Ecuador. Agradezco al Presidente de Ecuador @DanielNoboaOk por la grata conversación y el espacio para discutir sobre los desafíos comunes que tenemos en materia de seguridad, inmigración y desarrollo comercial y económico. pic.twitter.com/X5EfAZPm9S

— José Antonio Kast Rist 🖐️🇨🇱 (@joseantoniokast) December 23, 2025

Before his stop in Quito, Kast met with Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela in Lima to discuss migration and organized crime. “Peru has the same situation, even more serious perhaps than the one we live in Chile … and we have to unite,” Kast said.

Kast has vowed to expel more than 300,000 irregular migrants from Chile 

During his campaign, Kast vowed to expel the more than 300,000 irregular migrants currently in Chile. While he has since moderated his tone slightly, acknowledging the process will not be immediate, his platform includes strict measures such as denying regularizations, restricting access to social benefits, and constructing physical barriers at the border.

This stance has created a climate of fear among the migrant community. “It is difficult to be calm knowing that we can be expelled,” Franklin Lopez, a Venezuelan delivery worker in Santiago, told El Pais. Many, like Lopez, are waiting to see the first moves of the new administration before deciding whether to flee again.

For now, Kast admits he cannot sign any formal agreements until he takes office. He noted that the specifics of the corridor’s implementation will be decided once he arrives at La Moneda.

Kast’s meeting with Noboa also touched on the fight against organized crime 

The meeting with Noboa also touched on security, a critical issue for Ecuador, which is set to close 2025 as the most violent year in its recent history. Both leaders agreed on the need for integrated action against transnational organized crime.

“There is a commitment to work in a more integrated and articulated manner,” said Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld. 

Ingresando al Palacio Carondelet para reunirnos con el Presidente Noboa y miembros del gabinete ecuatoriano. pic.twitter.com/oSQYiHNuLx

— José Antonio Kast Rist 🖐️🇨🇱 (@joseantoniokast) December 23, 2025

Kast was received with honors in Quito, where supporters chanted “Long live Chile!” and “Endure the Latin American right!” outside the palace, underscoring the ideological alignment he seeks to build across the region.