The Minister of the Interior of ChileRodrigo Delgado, said this Thursday that the time has come to further close the country’s northern border, where a new stricter entry law and a “state of exception” have been in force for a few days in four provinces that are the scene of a crisis migratory.
“The time has come to close the border even more and to be able to have the tools that the new immigration legislation and the state of exception are granting us. We are going to continue using them and we do not rule out taking more measures”the minister told reporters from La Moneda Palace, the seat of government.
SIGHT: Hundreds of migrants have crossed irregularly into Chile in the last few hours
Among the strategies being considered are the curfew in the provinces of Tamarugal, El Loa, Arica and Parinocata (north) and the traffic control of vans to stop the smuggling of migrants, he explained.
Last week, these and other areas of northern Chile experienced an escalation of tension with a wave of strikes and stoppages by truckers once morest irregular migration that led the Government to decree a “state of exception” at several border crossings, a measure that allows the deployment of the Armed Forces.
In parallel, the Executive announced the implementation of the regulations of the new migration law, which seeks to harden the borders and that will allow from now on the so-called “redirections”, deportations without a judicial procedure.
Delgado explained that “We are working with Bolivia to fine-tune this process” and clarified that on the border with Peru the expulsions are being carried out “with fullness.”
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“We only say yes to regular migration, no to illegal migration, that is why yesterday more than 670 military personnel were deployed in the more than 1,100 kilometers of border with Peru and Bolivia”added President Sebastián Piñera, in a brief press conference during another event.
the north of Chile It has been mired in a strong migratory crisis for a year with the massive arrival of people through clandestine steps -the majority of Venezuelan nationality-, the collapse of small border towns, the celebration of marches once morest migration and xenophobic attacks.
The inclement altiplano passes continue to form the main irregular entry route to Chilewhich despite the pandemic and the social crisis of 2019, remains one of the most attractive countries to migrate within Latin America due to its political and economic stability.
The most impressive images are of the route between the villages of Colchane (Chile) and Pisiga Carpa (Bolivia), where Efe was able to verify the chaos that is unleashed every day with the arrival of dozens of people, including children and pregnant women.
According to the Immigration and Migration Department, there are 1.4 million migrants in Chile, which is equivalent to more than 7% of the population, and Venezuelans are the most numerous, followed by Peruvians, Haitians and Colombians.
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