Chile probes possible trafficking of Haitian children
· UPIJune 16 (UPI) -- Chile's government, through the National Migration Service, filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors over the suspected trafficking of minors after more than 200 Haitian children and teenagers who entered the country in 2025 could not be located.
According to the complaint, the minors arrived in Chile between January and October 2025 on non-scheduled commercial flights, the migration agency said in a statement Monday.
"The report of a massive and uncontrolled entry of Haitian children into Chile during 2025 is extremely serious and requires the highest level of attention," Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast said.
A joint review conducted by the National Migration Service, the Comptroller General's Office and the Investigative Police detected that a closed group of at least 12 adults, both Chilean and foreign nationals, repeatedly entered the country from Haiti.
Authorities said the individuals were listed as the "responsible adults" for groups ranging from two to 18 minors despite having no family or blood relationship with them. The children entered Chile under the country's family reunification program.
"The information collected made it possible to establish that the accompanying adults had no family or blood ties to the minors entering national territory," the statement said.
Chilean law requires parents with permanent residency status in the country to formally request permission for their children to join them. However, border controls did not verify the actual family relationship when the minors entered Chile.
The individuals under investigation also lacked the legal authorizations required to transport minors. The complaint seeks to determine whether airlines, travel agencies or other parties may have played a role in the alleged scheme.
A report by the Comptroller General's Office identified serious oversight failures and a lack of coordination among police agencies, aviation authorities and immigration services.
The Public Ministry opened a criminal investigation to dismantle a possible trafficking network, according to local news outlet Emol.
Given the seriousness of the allegations, lawmakers from governing coalition parties Renovacion Nacional and Evopoli requested the creation of a special congressional investigative commission to determine potential political and administrative responsibilities related to child protection failures and weak migration controls.
The case is not the first controversy involving the entry of Haitian nationals into Chile. The most significant precedent occurred between 2016 and 2018, when thousands of migrants arrived through commercial airlines, including the now-defunct Latin American Wings, and charter flights. Authorities later alleged that many travelers entered as tourists but intended to remain permanently in the country.
At the time, Chilean court cases and investigative reports by local media outlet Ciper Chile documented criminal networks involved in human trafficking and migrant smuggling. Authorities said the groups operated through falsified hotel reservations, abusive fees and fraudulent employment contracts.
Chile's immigration department detected 1,508 fraudulent employment contracts involving foreign nationals, with 89% linked to Haitian citizens, prompting authorities to significantly tighten consular requirements.