Santiago Mayor Mario Desbordes welcomed the government's decision to postpone the expansion of Santiago 1 prison. Construction remains on hold while a legal dispute between the executive branch and the Municipality of Santiago is resolved.
According to La Tercera, Desbordes attributed the postponement to the legal actions his administration had taken. "I am sure we are going to win the legal actions," the mayor said.
The project originally called for three high-security units and one maximum-security unit within the prison, located in the municipality of Santiago.
Desbordes clarified that the municipality does not oppose building new facilities for highly dangerous inmates. His demand concerns the location. According to the mayor, any expansion must take place outside the capital's urban area and far from populated areas in any municipality.
The mayor's argument looks back to the past. He maintained that local residents have spent decades waiting for compensation and mitigation measures promised when Santiago 1 was built, and that those promises were not fulfilled. He asked that authorities "stop adding to the burden" on an area he described as completely saturated.
The postponement also prompted reactions from the opposing side. According to ADN Radio, Metropolitan Regional Governor Claudio Orrego called on the executive branch to explain the decision. Orrego maintained that the country needs prison infrastructure of this kind to tackle organized crime.
The sources do not detail how the government responded to the governor's demand or provide a timeline for resuming construction.
The conflict leaves two authorities in the Metropolitan Region taking different positions. The municipality prioritizes the impact on residents living near the prison. The governor emphasizes the urgent need for maximum-security capacity as organized crime advances.
For now, the project's fate depends on the pending court ruling. Meanwhile, the expansion of Santiago 1 will remain on hold, and the government has not announced a date for resuming it.