Shield of the Americas: 2 Chile Ex-Presidents Ask Kast to Reconsider

CHILE · POLITICS

Two days after Chile joined the US-led coalition, two former presidents asked Kast to think again. His ministers urged calm.

Two of Chile’s former presidents have joined forces against one of President José Antonio Kast’s biggest foreign-policy moves. Michelle Bachelet and Gabriel Boric asked him on Thursday 24 September to reconsider Chile’s place in the Shield of the Americas.

On 25 September Security Minister Martín Arrau held the government’s line, urging calm and saying “one has to read the background”.Donald Trump launched the US-led coalition against organised crime in March 2026.

In Spanish it is called the Escudo de las Américas. Chile moved from observer to full member on 22 September.

The announcement came during Kast’s visit to the UN General Assembly in New York.

What changed on 25 September

Public Security Minister Martín Arrau answered Bachelet and Boric on Friday 25 September, ADN Radio and Emol reported. He said he respects their opinion, “but the first thing is caution, calm”.

“One has to read the background,” Arrau said, calling membership “a first step on a long road”. What Chile signed, he added, is “the intention to move forward”.

Any later treaty would have to follow the proper procedures, he said. Organised crime “does not respect borders”, he argued, so countries must coordinate more closely.

Kast landed back in Chile early on Friday. His office chose not to answer the statement from New York and was weighing whether Kast would reply himself, Emol reported.

What Bachelet and Boric Said About the Shield of the Americas

The two former leaders published a joint statement on Thursday afternoon. They voiced “concern” at the government’s decision to join an initiative promoted by Trump.

“In the current geopolitical scenario, Chile should not be forced to choose a side,” they wrote. It should strengthen alliances with different countries and regions, they added, without exclusions imposed from outside.

They accepted that fighting transnational organised crime requires cooperation. But they warned against placing Chile’s foreign, security or defence policy under priorities set by a foreign power.

They also criticised the phrase “continental sovereignty”, saying it could weaken the principle of national sovereignty. They offered to help design state strategies against organised crime.

How the Government Responded

Defence Minister Fernando Barros answered the former presidents on Thursday. “I don’t know on what basis so much panic is being generated,” he said.

He called the coalition a voluntary agreement for coordination that “does not compromise sovereignty”. He admitted he lacked some details and said Kast and the foreign minister would explain more on their return.

Kast had defended the move to reporters in New York earlier on Thursday, before the statement came out. “We are not going to take part in military interventions in other countries,” he said.

He added that Chile would not lose sovereignty if military exercises against organised crime were ever held on its soil. On 22 September he had said there is no treaty involved.

He also denied any pressure from Washington. “The only pressure we feel is to coordinate internationally to fight the scourge of organised crime,” he said.

Mariano Fernández, a former foreign minister under Bachelet, tells a different story. He told La Tercera that at a 15 September meeting, Pérez Mackenna told ex-ministers the United States “was pressuring”.

Foreign ministry sources told La Tercera this is “not true”.Kast linked the coalition to the Santiago Commitment, a regional anti-crime declaration Chile signed in May 2026.

Both, he said, aim at the same thing. Asked about China, Chile’s main trading partner, Kast saw no conflict.

Most of Chile’s mining products are sold to China, he noted, and those trade ties will continue.

What the Coalition Does

The government describes membership as voluntary. It says the coalition shares intelligence on criminal networks, offers data-analysis tools and trains Chile’s Carabineros and PDI detectives.

In the declaration, members say they intend to impose asset freezes and visa restrictions on supporters of 24 named criminal groups. It proposes OAS consultations under the 1947 Rio Treaty.

It also covers investment screening, critical-mineral supply chains and “trusted supplier” regulations for digital infrastructure. Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna says it has nothing to do with the use of military forces.

Besides Chile and the United States, the members are Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and El Salvador. Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago complete the group of 15.

The 24 groups it targets include Brazil’s PCC and Comando Vermelho, Ecuador’s Los Choneros and Los Lobos, and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.

A Split Along Party Lines

Kast’s allies hit back within hours. Republican deputy Cristián Araya asked on X what there was to reconsider — the “frontal war” on terrorism and drug trafficking?

Fellow Republican Catalina Del Real said the former presidents contradict themselves. They admit crime has no borders, she said, yet oppose a forum built to fight it.

“Chile needs more intelligence sharing, more coordination and more international cooperation, not less,” she added. Defending sovereignty, she argued, does not mean isolating the country.

Stephan Schubert, who chairs the lower house foreign relations committee, stressed that Chile is not acting alone. UDI caucus leader Flor Weisse said organised crime advanced worryingly while Boric and Bachelet governed.

National Renewal deputy Juan Carlos Beltrán urged them not to politicise a cooperation forum. Karla Rubilar, a former spokeswoman for Sebastián Piñera’s government, also criticised the statement.

She said it leaves Chile “looking very bad” and does nothing to help if the country wants more investment. On the left, Frente Amplio president Gael Yeomans and Communist deputy Irací Hassler backed the call.

Gustavo Gatica, an independent elected on a Communist Party slot, said the government “seems to confuse cooperation with subordination”.Hassler said she hopes Kast “listens and backs down on this bad decision”.

Gatica closed his post by saying national dignity is not negotiable. Zandra Parisi of the Partido de la Gente struck a middle note.

She said the concerns deserve a hearing, but the government still has details to explain.

Why It Matters If You Live in Chile

For ordinary residents and visitors, nothing announced so far changes taxes, residency or property rules. The visa curbs in the declaration target people linked to the named criminal groups.

The promised benefits are better-trained police and tighter border controls against smuggling and trafficking. How far that reaches daily life depends on details still to come.

For investors, Kast’s message is continuity with China, the main buyer of Chile’s mining exports. Yet the declaration also says members intend to explore investment screening, a point worth watching.

The row also shows how divided Chile’s politics remain just over six months into Kast’s term.

What Comes Next

Opposition deputies will question Pérez Mackenna in Congress on Monday 28 September, in a session led by Socialist deputy Nelson Venegas. The questioning covers 13 foreign-policy topics, including the Strait of Magellan, US tariffs and the coalition.

The Senate agreed unanimously on 24 September to hold a special session on 7 October. It plans to summon Pérez Mackenna, Barros and Arrau.

Senate President Paulina Núñez wants the session to clarify whether membership amounts to a treaty that needs congressional approval. Kast says joining does not weaken his minister before that session.

Parisi called it the right moment to clarify what membership concretely means.

Sources: La Tercera, joint statement and reactions, 25 September 2026; 24horas, Defence Minister Barros’s reply, 24 September 2026; BioBioChile, Barros on the former presidents, 24 September 2026; El Desconcierto, the 13 interpellation topics, 22 September 2026; ADN Radio, full text of the declaration, 23 September 2026; Publimetro, Kast on pressure and China, 24 September 2026; La Tercera, Kast backs foreign minister before interpellation, 24 September 2026; La Tercera, interview with Mariano Fernández, September 2026; ADN Radio, Arrau responds to Bachelet and Boric, 25 September 2026; Emol, Arrau on the former presidents’ statement, 25 September 2026; Emol, Kast’s team on the former presidents’ statement, 25 September 2026; La Tercera, Kast returns to Chile, 25 September 2026; La Tercera, foreign ministry denial, 24 September 2026; El Mostrador, Senate special session, 24 September 2026.

More: Chile news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Shield of the Americas?

It is a US-led coalition of 15 countries against transnational organised crime, launched by Donald Trump in March 2026. Members share intelligence, data tools and police training.

When did Chile join?

Chile moved from observer to full member on 22 September 2026. The move was announced during President Kast’s visit to the UN General Assembly in New York.

What did Bachelet and Boric ask for?

They asked Kast to reconsider Chile’s membership, saying the country should not be forced to choose a side. They said cooperation against crime must preserve Chile’s autonomy.

Does joining affect foreigners living in Chile?

Nothing announced so far changes taxes, residency or property rules for ordinary residents. The declaration’s visa restrictions target members and supporters of 24 named criminal groups.

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