Overview
- President José Antonio Kast announced the package in a televised message on Wednesday and said it includes more than 30 bills to be sent to Congress for rapid consideration.
- The plan proposes a constitutional change to make protecting public security a state duty and would make membership in a criminal organization a standalone aggravated crime.
- Proposed policing and justice measures would extend flagrancy detention from 12 to 24 hours, toughen penalties for recruiting minors, create a formal list of criminal and terrorist groups, and enable seizure and destruction of criminal assets.
- The package links tighter migration rules to security by seeking longer detention for irregular migrants and increased capacity for expulsions, and it follows the recent resignation request for Security Minister Trinidad Steinert, underscoring cabinet instability.
- Lawmakers, civil liberties groups, and courts will likely shape what becomes law because opposition demands such as lifting bank secrecy for traffickers and pending constitutional review of the government’s recent economic megarreform create political and legal hurdles.