300 migrants detected in early expulsions ops

The Servicio Nacional de Migraciones said on May 19 that 300 foreign nationals in an irregular migratory situation had been detected in the first field operations of its new Department of Inspection and Expulsions through May 17. The figures covered 27 inspection actions carried out between the week of April 6-12 and the week of May 11-17, according to data reported by BioBioChile and attributed to the agency. The operations reached most of Chile’s regions, excluding the Metropolitan and Coquimbo regions, and reviewed 834 people in total. The disclosure offers the first measurable results from a unit the agency began implementing at the end of March. ### Where did the 300 figure come from? SERMIG said the 300 cases were identified during 27 inspection activities carried out over roughly six weeks, with 834 people checked overall through May 17. BioBioChile reported that the agency described those 300 people as foreign nationals found to be in an irregular migratory situation. Valparaíso recorded the largest regional total, with 81 irregular cases in four activities. Maule followed with 42 cases in three operations, and Bío Bío with 36 in two, according to the same report. ### Why did Calama draw attention inside those numbers? Calama, in the Antofagasta region, was the site of one of two operations that SERMIG highlighted from the nine actions carried out during the week of May 11-17. (biobiochile.cl) BioBioChile reported that the Calama operation took place on the night of May 15 and focused on nightclubs and bars in the city center. The same week produced the highest activity level in the dataset released so far. SERMIG said nine operations were carried out between May 11 and May 17, with 340 foreign nationals checked and 103 irregular cases detected, making it the busiest week in both inspections and findings. (biobiochile.cl) ### What is this new department supposed to do? March 25 marked an early public signal of the new enforcement push, when SERMIG director Frank Sauerbaum met with PDI migration police chief Ernesto León Bórquez and said, “Queremos salir a fiscalizar con ustedes,” or “We want to go out and inspect with you.” The agency said the meeting focused on strengthening joint field work with the police. (biobiochile.cl) April 2 brought a more formal description of the new structure. SERMIG said it was implementing a Directorate of Inspection and Expulsions led by former PDI prefect inspector Richard Bórquez, as part of Sauerbaum’s effort to turn the migration service into what he called an “active and not passive” agency. (serviciomigraciones.cl) ### How does this fit the Kast government’s broader expulsions plan? April 16 was the date of the Kast government’s first expulsion flight, which the Interior Ministry said removed 40 foreign nationals — 26 under administrative measures and 14 by court order. The ministry said the flight marked the formal start of a permanent policy of migratory control using air and land operations. (serviciomigraciones.cl) May 8 added a second benchmark. SERMIG said a new flight carrying 40 expelled foreign nationals brought total expulsions under President José Antonio Kast to 334 in about a month and a half, and director Frank Sauerbaum said more expulsions would be announced “in the coming days.” ### What comes next in the enforcement rollout? (interior.gob.cl) Frank Sauerbaum said on May 8 that the government would report new expulsions in the following days and that the process would continue with backing from the Interior Ministry, the undersecretariat, the PDI and the Foreign Ministry. That statement came after the second expulsion flight and before the May 19 release of the first inspection results from the new department. (serviciomigraciones.cl) The Servicio Nacional de Migraciones news page continued publishing migration-enforcement updates this week, including regional activity reports dated May 19. That is where the agency has been posting operational updates tied to the new inspection and expulsions structure. (serviciomigraciones.cl) (serviciomigraciones.cl)