Movement of People in the Pacific Alliance: The Chilean Case

Abstract

This chapter aims to tackle globalization and human mobility within the framework of the Pacific Alliance, a regional initiative made up of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. I emphasize the case of Chile, a South American country that in recent years, particularly for people coming from Haiti, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela, has become a receptive place for Latin American migration. This is despite the fact Chile is still governed by the Immigration Law of 1975, created during its military dictatorship and the most antique in the region. This chapter discusses whether the Chilean Migration Law effectively addresses the issue’s complexity and whether it is capable of meeting the demands of multicultural societies. I argue that the law fails to achieve those goals, principally because there trade and capital are treated in one way and people and immigration in another. In order to develop my argument I analyze which types of legislation, treatment, and approach should be implemented and are most effective in an interdependent scenario of increasing human mobility.