Chile joins Shield of the Americas against transnational organised crime
The Kast government announced Chile's accession to the coalition promoted by Trump along with 14 other countries. The initiative seeks to coordinate the fight against organisations such as Tren de Aragua.
Chile enters regional security coalition promoted by Trump
The Chilean government formalised its accession to the Shield of the Americas, an international coordination mechanism against organised crime promoted by the White House last March, according to ellitoral.com. The coalition brings together about fifteen right-wing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
President José Antonio Kast announced the measure from New York, where he participated in the 81st General Assembly of the United Nations. "This gives us all certainty that we will have similar standards to prosecute these organisations. That there are 15 countries shows that this is something global, that one of the greatest scourges we have today is organised crime and migration," Kast declared to journalists.
The president clarified that accession does not imply binding legal commitments: "There is no treaty here, so that no one says we are overriding the country's sovereignty or institutional framework."
The Chilean executive stated in a communiqué that the initiative "will allow for the coordinated fight against organised crime, complementing the work of the Santiago Commitment against transnational crime."
Among the immediate operational benefits that the government highlighted are access to intelligence on organised crime, data analysis systems and training for the Chilean national police (Carabineros) and the Investigation Police (PDI).
Border control and homicides
Kast took the opportunity at the international forum to present a balance sheet of his first six months in office regarding security. He stated that irregular migration fell by 86% and that expulsions of undocumented persons increased by 50%. "To Chile, and I reiterate this, entry is through the door, not through the window, with proper documentation," the president said.
Regarding violence, Kast indicated that the homicide rate recorded a decrease of 11.5% in the last six months.
Tren de Aragua and the 25 identified groups
The coordination mechanism identified 25 criminal organisations operating at the regional level. Among them are Tren de Aragua—a transnational megagang of Venezuelan origin—, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, classified as "real and complex threats that require regional coordination."
In Chile, Tren de Aragua is linked to active court cases, including the homicide of a police officer, the kidnapping and murder of a former Venezuelan military officer and political refugee, as well as several cases of kidnapping, extortion and sexual exploitation.
Along with Chile, the Shield of the Americas includes Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago.
Source: Google News CL — Crime