The Chilean government announced the expropriation of 110 hectares of illegally occupied land on Cerro Centinela in San Antonio, home to about 10,000 people. The move aims to avert a social crisis but has drawn criticism for undermining the rule of law and legitimizing illegal occupations. It contradicts prior policies and draws from the 2025 budget.
The San Antonio occupation on Cerro Centinela started in 2019, when organized groups illegally seized 215 hectares using heavy machinery and irregularly subdivided the land, selling lots. It now houses over 10,000 people, including 3,000 children, in conditions lacking basic services. In July 2023, the Court of Appeals of Valparaíso ordered eviction following a claim by the owners, a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court in March 2024.
The government began negotiations for families to purchase the land through cooperatives, but these failed in September 2024 due to prices demanded by owners exceeding Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (Minvu) valuations. Initially, Minister Mario Montes stated in December 2023 that neither purchase nor expropriation was considered, given resource shortages for over 1,400 camps nationwide.
Surprisingly, as the eviction deadline approached, the government issued a decree to expropriate 110 hectares, estimating a cost of US$11 million from unexecuted plans in the 2025 budget. Minvu submitted a housing plan to the court, justifying the step due to the social impact of displacing thousands without options, noting no other takeover in Chile matches its scale. Government sources claim this tool was widely used by the previous administration.
Critics, as in La Tercera's editorial, warn that the decision solidifies the occupation as an effective pressure tactic, evades judicial orders, and opens doors for other camps to demand similar solutions, eroding institutions. Architect Yves Besançon P. questions whether the hectares will benefit only the 4,000 occupying families or include 2,500 housing committees waiting over 10 years, sending a 'bad signal' by rewarding illegalities.
Conversely, academic Rodolfo Jiménez supports expropriation as a legitimate tool to pay market price and develop planned housing projects, highlighting the one-million-unit housing deficit and the need for long-term policies like Santiago's Metro. He stresses that evicting without viable alternatives, such as insufficient shelters in San Antonio, would spark a humanitarian crisis. The expropriation process may take up to two years, with eviction of the non-expropriated portion set for early 2025, though the submitted plan covers only that minority.