“We are going to take back our country,” newly minted Chilean President José Antonio Kast told a crowd of thousands as he took office March 11. Some say Kast’s leadership signals a shift in the country’s approach to economics and security, bolstering the new wave of conservative dynamism in the region.

During his first speech at La Moneda, the presidential palace in Santiago, Kast highlighted three main priorities for his administration: security, economic growth, and stemming the flow of illegal migration at the country’s northern border with Bolivia.