Majority in Antofagasta read migrant promise literally

DiarioAntofagasta reported on May 18 that a new Criteria poll found 76% of respondents took President José Antonio Kast’s pledge to expel irregular migrants “from day one” as a concrete promise, not a metaphor. The result followed Kast’s remarks on May 13 that the campaign line should be understood as a “metáfora” and that anyone who believed 300,000 people would be expelled in a single day had “understood the message wrong.” Chilean media outlets including Cooperativa and BioBioChile tied the poll directly to that exchange over one of Kast’s most repeated migration promises. The poll was not presented as a regional Antofagasta survey in the material reviewed. DiarioAntofagasta, a regional news outlet based in northern Chile, published the result as part of its political coverage, but the underlying measurement was described by other outlets as the latest national Criteria survey. Cooperativa said the poll was released on May 17 and framed the question around Kast’s recent explanation of the pledge. (diarioantofagasta.cl) ### What exactly did respondents say they believed? The 76% figure referred to people who said Kast’s statement about expelling irregular migrants from the first day of his government should be read as a real and executable commitment. DiarioAntofagasta said 16% viewed the phrase as symbolic rather than literal. Cooperativa used nearly identical framing, saying 76% saw the commitment as “concreta y real,” while only 16% treated it as symbolic. (diarioantofagasta.cl) The wording matters because Kast himself had tried to narrow the meaning of the campaign slogan. His explanation did not dispute the hard line on migration; it disputed the literal timetable attached to it. That distinction is what the poll tested. ### What did Kast say when he called it a metaphor? (diarioantofagasta.cl) José Antonio Kast said on May 13 that criticism of the pace of expulsions was based on an overly literal reading of campaign rhetoric. BioBioChile quoted him saying: “Es una metáfora. Si alguien creyó que en un día vamos a expulsar a 300 mil, creo que entendió mal el mensaje.” In the same appearance, he said anyone trying to enter Chile irregularly would be detained and expelled. (cooperativa.cl) Those comments came during an event at the Cámara Chilena de la Construcción, according to BioBioChile. The remarks reopened scrutiny of a campaign message that had linked irregular migration to public order and state control. ### Was this an Antofagasta story or a national one? Antofagasta is central to the politics of the story because DiarioAntofagasta chose to elevate it and migration has long been a prominent issue in Chile’s north. (biobiochile.cl) But the evidence available in the cited coverage points to a national poll, not a survey limited to Antofagasta residents. Cooperativa described it as “la última encuesta Criteria,” and DiarioAntofagasta itself said the poll measured “la opinión de los chilenos.” That distinction is important for readers trying to place the result. The outlet is regional; the survey finding, as reported, was national in scope. ### What else did the poll say about Kast’s standing? Criteria’s broader weekly tracker showed mixed movement around the same time. Cooperativa reported that Kast’s approval rose to 38%, while disapproval reached 53%, which it described as the highest level since the administration began. (diarioantofagasta.cl) The same report said 46% of respondents thought the government’s direction was incorrect, while 36% said it was correct. (diarioantofagasta.cl) Criteria’s archive page shows weekly “Agenda Criteria” releases through May 2026, including editions on May 3 and May 10. That archive indicates the migration question landed inside a recurring national opinion series rather than a one-off local poll. ### What should readers watch next? May 17 and May 18 coverage from Cooperativa and DiarioAntofagasta established the immediate public reaction to Kast’s “metaphor” explanation. (cooperativa.cl) The next concrete checkpoint is Criteria’s subsequent weekly release, along with any new government figures on expulsions or border enforcement that test whether Kast’s administration can align policy outcomes with the expectations reflected in the poll. (criteria.cl)