Like several other recently inaugurated right-wing presidents in Latin America, Kast has drawn inspiration from El Salvador's authoritarian leader Nayib Bukele in the fight against organized crime.
The government recently published its own images of how nearly 300 high-risk prisoners were moved to a new, large prison.
"We are sending a clear message to criminals that things have changed," Kast said in connection with the move.
We will hunt you down, and we will find you.
Gearing up
But after dissatisfaction from supporters that the pace of reform since the government took office in March has not matched the campaign rhetoric, Kast has tried to step things up. In early August, a legislative package was presented that gives the state increased powers in crime prevention.
The measures include the permanent deployment of police forces in certain areas, tougher penalties for gang membership, and fewer restrictions on the use of force by police.
This also includes changes to the constitution - so that the president, without seeking support from Congress, can declare a state of emergency for up to eight months.
“I don’t want to sacrifice everything”
Several experts condemn the proposal as both unnecessarily far-reaching and a threat to democratic principles. The possibility of restricting freedoms is particularly controversial in a country still dealing with the memory of Augusto Pinochet's violent dictatorship from 1973 to 1990.
The proposal is also causing division among the government's supporting parties, several of which are requesting changes.
The leader of the center-right Evopolis party, Luciano Cruz-Coke, questions "the false assumption that people are prepared to sacrifice everything for security."
Kast dismisses criticism that he is steering the country in an "illiberal" direction.
But he is open to changing things like the timeframe for the state of emergency.
"That can be modified, if that's the problem," he said in an interview on Monday.
