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Chilean Senate President Highlights Migration System Flaws Amid Search for Missing Haitian Children

From BioBioChile · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Chilean Senate President Paulina Núñez addressed the grave situation of missing Haitian children in Chile.
  • Núñez highlighted vulnerabilities and legal loopholes in the migration system, calling for strengthened controls and a national search plan.
  • She also discussed Chile's declining birth rate, emphasizing the need for public policies to address population aging.

The president of the Chilean Senate, Paulina Núñez, has described the situation of missing Haitian children in Chile as "extremely serious," emphasizing the national distress and the urgent need to locate the minors without politicizing the issue.

We are talking about an extremely serious situation. There is national commotion and anguish just thinking about where these children are.

— Paulina NúñezDescribing the gravity of the situation regarding the missing Haitian children.

Núñez stated that the family reunification visa, used by the children to enter Chile, revealed significant flaws and legal gaps within the migration system. She noted instances where adults entered the country accompanied by over 30 children, underscoring the system's vulnerability. Consequently, she urged for the acceleration of legislative projects to enhance migration controls and prevent similar incidents.

"It is evident that the system is vulnerable, it is evident that there are legal loopholes," Núñez stated in an interview. She also backed the national prosecutor's decision to launch an official investigation into all registered entries, aiming to scrutinize the process thoroughly.

It is evident that the system is vulnerable, it is evident that there are legal loopholes.

— Paulina NúñezCommenting on the weaknesses identified in Chile's migration system.

In parallel, Núñez addressed Chile's declining birth rate, labeling it one of the country's most significant crises. She stressed the necessity of state-level public policies to confront the complex scenario of an aging population, noting that some regions are already experiencing negative population growth, with more deaths than births. She called for proactive measures to manage this demographic challenge.

The only objective is to search for and find where these children who entered Chile are.

— Paulina NúñezEmphasizing the priority of finding the missing children.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by BioBioChile in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.