Chile — humanitarian situation

Chile remains a transit and destination country within broader mixed migration movements affecting Latin America and the Caribbean, with regional dynamics increasingly shaped by restrictive policy environments and constrained humanitarian funding. During the second half of 2025, northbound mixed movements across the region contracted sharply, while return dynamics—including deportation-related and exploratory returns—became more prominent (R4V). The Mixed Movements Monitoring initiative tracked population flows through Chile's borders during October-December 2025, with monitoring conducted at the Tacna border crossing with Peru documenting entries and exits of migrants transiting between February and March 2026 (IOM, UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP). The regional response for Venezuelan refugees and migrants operated under severe financial constraints throughout 2025, with the Refugee and Migrant Response Plan securing approximately 10 percent of required funding (R4V). This funding shortfall forced many partners to reduce or suspend activities across the region, undermining response capacity. Within the Southern Cone subregion encompassing Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay, UNHCR provided direct humanitarian assistance, socioeconomic inclusion support, and legal assistance to more than 36,000 people in 2025 (UNHCR). Regional programming aims to help over 70,000 people rebuild their lives through improved access to employment, services, and legal identity while strengthening local systems and expanding private-sector engagement (UNHCR). Chile faces natural hazard exposure alongside migration management challenges. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near the central Chilean coast on May 31, 2026, at a depth of 25 kilometers (USGS). The country is among more than 25 nations across Central America, North America, and the Caribbean exposed to tropical cyclones, with high cyclonic activity expected in the eastern Pacific despite below-average Atlantic hurricane forecasts for the current season (IFRC). The regional health context includes increased measles cases across the Americas during 2025 and 2026, prompting calls from PAHO to reinforce surveillance and vaccination activities, particularly given mass gatherings with international participation.