Chile: US Ambassador Judd Says Violent Protesters Have No Right to Travel to the US
POLITICS · CHILE
Key Facts
- —The country Chile, governed since March 2026 by right-wing President José Antonio Kast, who has sought closer security ties with the United States.
- —What happened On 2 October US Ambassador Brandon Judd praised Kast on X for condemning an attack on students. He said violent offenders “have no right” to travel to the US.
- —Who is involved Hooded attackers hit right-wing Catholic University students at a 1 October student march. Police counted about 6,000 marchers and 31 arrests (Teletrece, 1 October).
- —What it means for you Judd named no one and announced no specific visa measure. The attackers have not been publicly identified, so the warning has no direct target yet.
- —Still open Whether prosecutors identify the attackers, and whether the Foreign Ministry answers calls for a formal protest over Judd’s remarks.
US ambassador Judd praised Chile’s President José Antonio Kast on Friday 2 October for condemning an attack on students in Santiago. He added that people who commit violent crimes “have no right to travel to the United States”.
The attack took place on Thursday 1 October, during a march against the 2027 budget. Hooded demonstrators struck right-wing Catholic University students who were staging a counter-protest outside the campus.
What the Ambassador Wrote
Brandon Judd, a former US Border Patrol agent, posted on X the day after the march. He applauded Kast “for condemning the violence committed yesterday by a group of protesters” at a student march.
“The United States works with our allies across the hemisphere to confront political violence,” he continued. BioBioChile and 24horas carried the post, which named no one and set out no specific visa step.
What Happened Outside the Catholic University
The march was called by Confech, the Confederation of Students of Chile, which groups university student unions. Members of two right-wing groups, Solidaridad UC and Movimiento Gremial, held a counter-protest at the Casa Central on the Alameda.
According to BioBioChile, attackers punched them and threw objects and paint, forcing them inside the building. Carabineros, the national police, counted about 6,000 marchers and 31 arrests, Teletrece reported.
Deputy Interior Minister Máximo Pavez called the attacks “absolutely unacceptable”. He also said there was no looting and no injured police, and traffic on the Alameda returned to normal by the afternoon.
Condemnation crossed political lines. Confech spokesperson Laura Mlynarz, president of the University of Chile student federation, called “that kind of confrontation” unacceptable, BioBioChile reported.
Kast said protesters must “respect those who think differently” and that such clashes “cannot happen again”. On Friday, deputies from his Republican Party asked the Santiago Centre-North prosecutor’s office to investigate.
Police tactics on the day were also disputed, as covered in Chile Teachers’ Union Calls Police Response ‘Brutal’. Confech leaders said marchers faced heavy police action near the university, El Periscopio reported.
Criticism of US Ambassador Judd
The post drew sharp responses. International law analyst Paz Zárate wrote that “Trump’s representative in Chile” breaks Vienna Convention rules on diplomacy daily.
She asked Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna when he would hand Judd a formal protest note, ADN Radio and 24horas reported. Communist deputy Lorena Pizarro told the ambassador to “keep silent” out of respect, according to El Periscopio.
Others defended him. El Periscopio noted that some users on X backed the ambassador, a few urging Washington to bar left-wing Chilean politicians.
A Pattern of Public Interventions
It was Judd’s second public clash over Chilean affairs this week. On 30 September he called Communist senator Daniel Núñez’s claim of a refused US visa “a blatant lie”, 24horas reported.
In September, Chile asked him for evidence after remarks on the 2019 social unrest. That request is covered in Why Chile Is Asking the US Ambassador for Proof About Its 2019 Riots.
Asked about Judd in Congress on 28 September, Pérez Mackenna pointed to a protest note sent under the previous government. That session is described in Chile Foreign Minister Survives Interpellation as Deputies Give Kast 30 Days on US Pact.
What Is Not Yet Known
Prosecutors have not said whether any attacker has been identified. Judd did not say whether the United States would act against specific people.
No public Foreign Ministry response to the calls for a protest note had been reported by Saturday morning. It is also unclear whether the episode will shape the debate in Congress over Kast’s security pact with Washington.
Sources: BioBioChile (2 October 2026); El Periscopio (2 October 2026); 24horas (2 October 2026) and 24horas (1 October 2026); ADN Radio (2 October 2026); Teletrece (1 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief