Chile's 2025 Runoff: Jara and Kast on Security, Migration, and the Economy

Context and contrast: Chile, though still one of the safest countries in Latin America, has seen a rise in crime over the past five years, in part due to the growing presence of transnational criminal groups in the county. A September IPSOS poll found that two-thirds of Chileans consider crime and violence their top concern.

Though both pledge more funding and state action on security, Jara emphasizes gun control and leveraging technology to clamp down on crime whereas Kast’s plan focuses on building security infrastructure at Chile’s northern border and ramping up penalties for criminals.

Jeannette Jara: “Chileans’ main concern today is crime and insecurity. That is why it will be the top priority of our government,” begins Jara in her platform. Though a former Boric cabinet member, her platform speaks of the ways “the state has ceded ground” on security and outlines a plan to crack down on transnational crime by investing in policing, shoring up the prison system, and securing the border.

Measures in Jara’s plan include stronger firearm controls, empowerment of municipal and neighborhood security apparatuses, and greater oversight over and regulation of private security forces. She wants to leverage the armed forces and technology like drones to patrol the border while doubling the number of scanners used at the ports. Her approach to tackling money laundering centers on increased transparency requirements for banks. 

Jara also proposes an expansion of teams combating organized crime run by the Public Prosecutor’s office to the entire country. Her vision also includes building five new prisons with 10,000 new spaces by 2033 while investing in the modernization of both the prison police force and the regular police force.

José Antonio Kast: “Chile is living through one of the deepest security crises in its history,” declares Kast’s campaign platform. Kast, an admirer of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s war on gangs, has released a security program he calls “The Relentless Plan.” The focal point involves a ramping up of border security through building miles of barriers and ditches in the north of Chile to deter crime. 

He wants to raise penalties for criminals, including lengthening sentences, isolating gang leaders from other prisoners, and limiting visitation rights. He seeks to build at least 100,000 new prison spaces in the next four years and hire 5,000 new correction officers. 

Kast plans to ramp up police and military presence in the areas of the country that have been particularly affected by organized crime. He also wants to expand protections for Chileans who act in self-defense against criminals. 

Context and contrast: Over the past six years, migration to Chile grew 47 percent, in part resulting from an influx of Venezuelans. Undocumented immigration rose from an estimated 10,000 in 2028 to 337,000 in 2023. While both candidates have spoken out against mass immigration, Jara wants some migrants to be regularized while Kast advocates for a large-scale deportation push.

Jara: The former labor minister believes migrants should be registered with the government and she is promoting for a “limited regularization” of those who came through legal pathways. “The thing is, we can’t regularize people in Chile who entered through the back door,” she said. 

Jara wants the Chilean government to aid migrants who want to return to their country of origin. All migrants with criminal records, however, will be expelled. 

Kast: The centerpiece of Kast’s migration policy would be the deportation of all immigrants with irregular status. Under a Kast government, all irregular migrants will have 90 days to exit the country voluntarily and are invited to contribute to covering the cost of their deportation flights. Otherwise, the government will track down and deport them, though they may face sanctions or jail time. For those, such as Venezuelans, who cannot be returned to their home country, Kast said he will construct refugee centers to house them. “Chile has been invaded … but this is over,” Kast said in a campaign ad. 

Kast said he will not promote regularization plans nor give irregular migrants access to social benefits. 

Context and contrast: While Chile is expected to grow 2.5 percent net in 2025, that number is virtually zero if the mining sector is removed from calculations. The country’s 9 percent unemployment rate is among the region’s highest. Jara is pushing for measures to increase salaries and decrease the cost of basic goods while Kast is planning to shrink the state.

Jara: “We are going to make sure that every Chilean family can make ends meet peacefully. That is my commitment. That is my hallmark: dignity, decent work, and good wages,” said Jara while campaigning. Her economic plan builds on her work as Boric’s labor minister, which focused on improving work conditions.

One of her main proposals is a living wage which seeks to ensure each Chilean makes at least $800 a month through a minimum wage increase, a subsidy for small businesses, or a cash transfer to workers making less than that amount. 

Other Jara proposals include efforts to lower the cost of living through a 20 percent reduction in electricity bills and the creation of up to 40 percent subsidies on other basic goods. Jara has a program to help first-time home buyers by doubling their down payment savings. and also to aid businesses through streamlining bureaucracy.

Her industrial plan includes pushing for renewable energy development, deepening state involvement in the production of lithium, and expanding mining production by 10 percent. 

Kast: The Republican Party candidate and his economic advisor Jorge Quiroz have laid out a plan that focuses on how reductions to the state budget and bureaucracy can reactivate the economy. To that tune, Kast has proposed slashing $6 billion from Chile’s $82 billion budget over 18 months. He has plans to conduct an audit of the federal government and crack down on what he sees as state employee waste.

He’s also looking to simplify tax collection for small businesses and cut environmental requirements for energy and mining projects. He is also planning cuts in areas such as corporate taxes and taxes on first-time homeowners.