STORY: Chilean President Gabriel Boric condemned on Saturday (January 3), the U.S. attack on Venezuela and capture of President Nicolás Maduro, warning about the precedent it could set.

Boric spoke alongside members of his cabinet, saying the government had implemented permanent border monitoring in anticipation of possible increased migration flows.

Chilean President-elect Jose Antonio Kast, who rose to power by promising to crack down on migration and crime, said in a post on X that Maduro's arrest was great news for the region.

"Now begins a greater task. The governments of Latin America must ensure that the entire apparatus of the regime abandons power and is held accountable," Kast, who will be sworn in on March 11, said.

Since the year 2000, some 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the country, with 85% of them living in the Latin American region, according to the U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Neighbouring Colombia has received the largest share of the diaspora, around 2,828,195, and in the fourth position, Chile is hosting 669,408, according to the R4V platform, a group of regional NGOs assisting migrants and refugees from Venezuela seeking access to basic rights and services, protection, as well as self-reliance and socio-economic integration and set up by the IOM.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: SANTIAGO, CHILE (JANUARY 3, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. CHILEAN POLICE GUARDING CELEBRATIONS

2. DEMONSTRATORS BURNING PHOTOGRAPH OF VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT, NICOLAS MADURO

3. DEMONSTRATOR HOLDING T-SHIRT READING (Spanish): “We wanna see you like this”

SANTIAGO, CHILE (JANUARY 3, 2026) (CHILEAN GOVERNMENT TV – Access all)

4. CHILEAN PRESIDENT, GABRIEL BORIC, SPEAKING

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CHILEAN PRESIDENT, GABRIEL BORIC, SAYING:

"Today it is Venezuela; tomorrow it could be anyone else. Likewise, the threat of unilateral external control over its natural resources or strategic resources constitutes a serious violation of the principle of territorial integrity and puts at risk the security, sovereignty, and stability of all the states in the region. If they can do it there, why couldn't they do it somewhere else in the future?"

SANTIAGO, CHILE (JANUARY 3, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

6. VENEZUELAN FLAG

SANTIAGO, CHILE (JANUARY 3, 2026) (CHILEAN GOVERNMENT TV – Access all)

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CHILEAN PRESIDENT, GABRIEL BORIC, SAYING:

"Chile makes an urgent call on the United Nations to take an active and immediate role, using all available mechanisms to prevent a military escalation—protecting, of course, the civilian population—and to restore a framework for a political and peaceful solution in accordance with the United Nations Charter. To that end, we are coordinating with different governments."

SANTIAGO, CHILE (JANUARY 3, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

8. VENEZUELANS IN CHILE CELEBRATING MADURO’S CAPTURE

SANTIAGO, CHILE (JANUARY 3, 2026) (CHILEAN GOVERNMENT TV – Access all)

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CHILEAN PRESIDENT, GABRIEL BORIC, SAYING:

"Given this scenario and the possible regional effects it may have, as a government we have put in place permanent monitoring of our borders in anticipation of possible increases in migratory flows from Venezuela to Chile, activating the various state institutions. We will strengthen all monitoring and consular protection protocols, paying special attention to the situation of Chilean citizens in Venezuela."

SANTIAGO, CHILE (JANUARY 3, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

10. VARIOUS OF VENEZUELANS IN CHILE CELEBRATING MADURO’S CAPTURE