COVID-19, the Migration Crisis and Chile's New Immigration Legislation: Chile's Powerful Get Richer and its Poor More Outraged

Abstract

This working paper considers the present situation of COVID–19 in Chile, with a focus on changing immigration trends, as well as the polarization of political and social conflict caused by the ways in which the Chilean government has attempted to manage the COVID–19 pandemic. The paper concentrates on the enactment of a restrictive immigration law and its consequences for Chilean society, and argues that the government’s COVID-19 policies have led to greater capital accumulation for the wealthy, exacerbated existing social divisions.