Law Commons^™

Playing By Pinochet’S Rules: Legal And Constitutional Impediments To Progressive Immigration Reform In Chile, William Patrick Schmidt

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the political context of Chile’s current immigration laws and policies, tracing changes through the dictatorship of the late 20th century, the transition to democracy in 1991, and up through the current administration. Using the backdrop of the Venezuelan migrant crisis, focus is given to specific stipulations of current policies and the impact they have on arriving migrants. A comparison with neighboring Argentina highlights key differences in policy reactions and is used to argue that a new constitution is needed in Chile in order to effectively respond to the arrival of over 250,000 Venezuelan migrants. Lastly, consideration is …