Senador Velásquez critica al Gobierno por seguridad

Senator Esteban Velásquez used President José Antonio Kast’s first cabinet reshuffle to argue that the government had neglected public security in northern Chile, turning a personnel change into a broader dispute over crime policy. Velásquez, a senator for the Antofagasta region, said the removal of the security minister and the government spokesperson showed the administration’s original design had been disconnected from conditions outside Santiago. His remarks were published on May 20 by Diario Antofagasta, a regional news outlet. The comments came a day after Kast replaced two ministers in the fastest cabinet adjustment of his presidency so far, according to Chilean media reports. ### What did Velásquez say about the cabinet change? Esteban Velásquez said the reshuffle showed that “Nunca fue preocupación la seguridad,” according to statements published by Diario Antofagasta and reproduced by other regional outlets. The Antofagasta senator said the “cambio de gabinete exprés” demonstrated that President Kast’s government had been born “desconectado de la realidad” and that campaign messages had ended up as “sólo slogans,” according to those reports. He also said the government had failed to deliver concrete answers for northern regions on security. ### Which ministers were removed? President José Antonio Kast removed Security Minister María Trinidad Steinert and government spokesperson Mara Sedini on May 19, according to Emol and France 24. France 24 described the move as the quickest cabinet reshuffle since the end of Chile’s dictatorship, while Emol reported that Kast made the change 69 days after taking office. The two outlets said the president acknowledged a need for greater effectiveness in carrying out promised reforms. ### Why did Velásquez frame this as a regional issue? Antofagasta region is Velásquez’s electoral base, and his statement focused on “las regiones del norte” rather than only on national politics. The senator said the government had not provided concrete security responses for the north, where migration routes, border controls and organized crime have become recurring political issues in Chilean debate. The Senate’s official profile identifies Velásquez as a senator for the 3rd electoral district, Antofagasta region, for the 2022-2030 term. That regional role helps explain why his criticism centered on whether national security policy was reaching northern territories. ### How does this fit into the political fight around Kast’s government? José Antonio Kast took office on March 11, 2026, and the reshuffle came just over two months into his term, according to Chilean press reports. That timing gave opposition and regional figures an opening to argue that the administration was already revising a central campaign issue. Regional outlets framed Velásquez’s remarks as a direct challenge to the government’s political handling of security. France 24 reported that Kast presented the ministerial changes as an effort to improve the execution of reforms, while Velásquez used the same event to argue that security had not been treated as a real governing priority. ### What is verifiable about Velásquez himself? The Chilean Senate lists Esteban Velásquez Núñez as a senator from Antofagasta, a member of the Federación Regionalista Verde Social, and a former mayor of Calama. That confirms the identity of the lawmaker cited in the regional reports. Diario Antofagasta published the remarks on May 20 under a story specifically linking Velásquez’s criticism to the cabinet change in security. Other regional sites carried the same statement, indicating that the quote circulated as a coordinated political response to the reshuffle. ### What happens next? The next test for Kast’s government will be the performance of the new security leadership installed after the May 19 reshuffle. Velásquez’s criticism has already put attention on whether the administration produces specific security measures for Antofagasta and other northern regions, and Chilean media are likely to track those moves through the new ministerial team in the days ahead.