Kast’s «Metaphor» of Deception: Promised to Expel 300,000 Migrants but Cut Social Rights Instead

Original article: La “metáfora” del engaño de Kast: prometió expulsar 300 mil migrantes y terminó recortando derechos sociales Following José Antonio Kast‘s recent statements, where he claimed his promise to expel 300,000 irregular migrants was a «metaphor«, opposition lawmakers accused the president of having «lied» during the electoral campaign and subsequently reducing social rights upon taking office at La Moneda. «Some say, ‘You’ve been in office for 60 days, and you said you would expel 300,000 migrants on the first day. ’ It’s a metaphor.

If someone believed we would expel 300,000 in one day, I think they misunderstood the message. » said the far-right leader on Wednesday. In response to these comments, Deputy Gael Yeomans, leader of the Frente Amplio coalition, stated that the issue is not that President Kast mentioned a metaphor, but rather that he deceived the country, just as when he claimed regarding his campaign promise of the 300,000 expulsions, that was not true.

«Everyone knew, it was mentioned to him at every debate setting, and he was challenged by our presidential candidate (Jeannette Jara), and he honestly insisted on his lie,» she told the press. The lawmaker also pointed out that Kast lied to Chile by claiming he would not touch social rights, but now we see how there are cuts affecting public hospitals and also educational institutions. «He also lied to Chile by saying he would carry out a reconstruction and national unity project, and what we’ve seen instead is that there’s a budget of destruction for families because the cuts will end up affecting them,» she stated.

Yeomans also addressed the negative effects of the economic-tax mega-reform proposed by Kast, which includes controversial measures such as reducing the first-category tax from 27% to 23%, eliminating the capital gains tax, implementing a tax credit for formal employment, and guaranteeing tax stability for 25 years for investments exceeding $50 million. «This legislative project we are working on in the National Congress, which is called ‘National Reconstruction,’ is actually a tax cut that will also cut rights that citizens have,» she warned. Senator Flores: «You Don’t Govern with Metaphors» In a similar vein, Senator Iván Flores (DC) expressed that he is not surprised by the statements coming from the government aiming to «clarify that they will not fulfill campaign commitments» and reminded that Kast even had a countdown during the campaign to indicate how many days were left until migrant expulsions.

He indicated that the only expulsion that has occurred in nearly three months of the far-right’s government was a deportation that had been prepared since last year, and there are still 36,000 to 38,000 people with valid expulsion orders who have not been deported. «You don’t govern with metaphors. Why did he make such a spectacle?

Why commit? Why have a countdown? » he questioned.

Senator Campillai: «Lying is Not a Metaphor» Senator Fabiola Campillai (Ind)—for her part—noted that when Kast said during the electoral campaign that he would expel 300,000 migrants upon assuming the government, «we all understood that he would expel 300,000 migrants once in office». «Lying is not a metaphor,» she affirmed, as reported by Bio Bío Chile. Senator Núñez: «Kast Relativizes His Own Campaign Promises» Senator Daniel Núñez (PC) also targeted the president, stating that significant issues like security and migration control «cannot be handled with self-satisfying metaphors.

» He indicated that with his recent statements, Kast «relativizes his own campaign promises and undermines his credibility as president of the Republic. » For the parliamentarian, «security and migration control require serious policies, not electoral marketing. » Kast Arrived at La Moneda and Cut Social Rights During his presidential campaign, José Antonio Kast defended his promise to cut $6 billion in 18 months «without reducing social spending», yet since taking office two months ago, his administration has implemented a series of cuts to social rights, programs, and budgets of ministries that have begun to negatively impact citizens.

In terms of housing, they cut the budget by $421 billion, resulting in extended waiting times for around 8,000 families across the country to access a home. The fiscal cuts made by Kast and his Treasury Minister, Jorge Quiroz, have also reduced the health budget by $413 billion, increasing waiting lists and decreasing service levels in public hospitals nationwide. In education, a letter from the Treasury Minister indicated that they should discontinue the “School Feeding Program (PAE),” the Public Education Support Fund, and the Teacher Vocational Grant.