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The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, issued a stern warning on Monday to the newly elected president of Chile, José Antonio Kast, whom he accused of "attacking" Venezuelan migrants amid the political debate in Chile following the recent presidential elections.
"Listen, you might be a staunch and confessing supporter of Pinochet, but be careful if you even touch a hair on a Venezuelan. Be careful! Hear me well, you hear, that anyone who messes with Venezuela will dry up... and you could dry up quickly, Mr. Kast," Maduro said during his television program Con Maduro+, broadcast by the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), according to EFE.
The leader reacted defiantly to the electoral victory of the Chilean leader, whom he accused of representing a “nazi-fascist” movement in Latin America.
"We know that Chile will endure, and sooner rather than later, it will be reborn. As Salvador Allende said: the great avenues will return, the certain hope betrayed, vanquishing the Nazifascism that seeks to impose itself once more," he affirmed.
Maduro's words rekindle the political tension between Caracas and Santiago, amidst a backdrop of increasing Venezuelan migration to the Southern Cone and Kast's criticism of the authoritarian governments in the region.
The Chilean leader, who will assume the presidency in the coming weeks, has promised to tighten immigration policy and strengthen border control, which has raised concerns in Caracas, viewing these measures as a threat to its citizens.
Maduro's warning adds to a long list of diplomatic tensions with governments in the region, especially those aligned with the right, whom he accuses of promoting a "campaign of hatred" against Venezuelan migrants.
Similarly, Diosdado Cabello, the number two of Chavismo and Secretary General of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), held outgoing Chilean President Gabriel Boric responsible for the victory of José Antonio Kast, attributing it to his political "timidity," emphasized EFE.
"When you want to govern in lukewarmness, when you don't understand who elected you and govern for the elites, these things happen," said Cabello at a press conference broadcast on state television.
When asked about a possible expulsion of Venezuelan migrants from Chile, he stated that Caracas would welcome them "with open arms," although he hinted that Kast would obey "his master," referring to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Cabello joked that the elected president will "surely put his personal touch" on immigration policies, which include a plan called Border Shield, featuring measures inspired by Trump's policies, such as walls, drones, radars, and sanctions against employers who hire irregular migrants.
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