On Saturday, August 22, 2026, as early as 7:00 a.m., people were already gathered in front of the Haitian Embassy at Avenida Republica 590 in Providencia, Chile. Several hundred highly motivated and angry Haitians protested their inability to obtain criminal record certificates.

"The National Migration Service (SERMIG), the Chilean government, is pressuring us to obtain criminal record certificates (certificado de antecedentes penales) in order to regularize our status; the Haitian Embassy is unable to provide them," explained David Antoine, spokesperson for the Haitian community in Chile.

Faced with the lack of response from consular authorities, frustration led to the demonstration. Several violent protesters eventually forced their way through the gates and the entrance door to enter the diplomatic premises, seeking to speak with the Consul. The premises were vandalized. "What happened is very worrying and shameful. Unfortunately, we are currently experiencing problems with these certificates [...] Many people come hoping to obtain their certificate. This document is in high demand, and many people are turned away because they lack it," stated David Antoine. Without this document, many Haitians face orders to leave the country (within 90 days), placing them under the direct threat of deportation.

This situation appears to have been caused by the Embassy's mismanagement of the certificates and the misinformation that circulated...

The spokesperson emphasized that the socio-political crisis in Haiti is affecting migrants in the Haitian community in Chile. "Imagine, you don't have papers, with a rising unemployment rate, it's frustrating, and I'm not even talking about the state of mind of my compatriots."

Antoine remarked that what worries him most right now is that "the Embassy is unable to issue this document, so for the moment, my compatriots have nothing left to lose, and when you have nothing left to lose, things can become dangerous..."

Police arrived to disperse the demonstration, but the Embassy had already more or less brought the situation under control and asked the demonstrators to leave the area. They stated that they would meet with those involved to explain the plan and their intentions.

However, Haitian diplomacy in Chile has remained officially silent and has maintained a complete lack of communication with the community and the media following Saturday's incidents.

S/ HaitiLibre