Key facts
- Chile transferred 298 high-risk inmates to the new La Laguna prison.
- The transfer is part of President Kast's strategy to combat organized crime and reduce prison overcrowding.
- La Laguna prison is one of Chile's largest and most modern facilities, equipped with extensive surveillance and signal-blocking technology.
- President Kast has cited El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele as an inspiration for his security policies.
- Kast's administration is pushing for legislative changes to enhance state authority in fighting crime, including broader police powers and easier states of emergency.
Chilean President José Antonio Kast has transferred nearly 300 high-risk inmates to a newly opened maximum-security prison, La Laguna, as part of a broader security initiative to combat organized crime. The move aims to reduce overcrowding and prevent incarcerated gang leaders from operating their criminal enterprises.
Kast traveled to the La Laguna Prison, located south of Santiago, to oversee the transfer of 298 prisoners, including alleged members of criminal organizations and gang leaders. The facility is described as Chile's most modern and secure, equipped with extensive surveillance and technology to block cellphone signals.
The president has invoked El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele as a model for his tough-on-crime stance, drawing parallels to Bukele's mass incarceration campaigns. Kast stated that the transfer sends a clear message to criminals that "things have changed."
This security push comes after a challenging start to Kast's administration, marked by the firing of his first security minister and slow progress on deporting undocumented immigrants. Public frustration over perceived inaction on security issues has led Kast to reshuffle his security ministry and propose a significant security package.
The proposed legislation includes measures such as a permanent police presence in high-crime areas, harsher penalties for gang membership, and the establishment of a new agency to seize assets linked to organized crime. It also seeks to relax rules on police use of force and make it easier to declare states of emergency.
Despite Chile remaining one of Latin America's safer countries, a rise in kidnappings, extortion, and the expansion of transnational gangs have fueled public anxiety and contributed to prison overcrowding, issues that were central to Kast's electoral victory.