More than 600 troops were deployed Wednesday to help police crack down on illegal immigration in four northern Chilean provinces bordering Bolivia and Peru as part of a government-declared state of emergency.
A total of 672 soldiers and 100 police were sent to reinforce forces already on the ground in the provinces of Arica, Parinacota, Tamarugal and El Loa, through which illegal immigrants pass, using mountain passes at high altitudes of more than 4,000 meters.
Many immigrants, especially Venezuelans, have died from the cold trying to make this dangerous journey.
The state of emergency is one of the measures agreed between the government and the truck drivers’ unions to lift roadblocks in northern and central Chile in protest of the death of one of them in incidents with a group of migrants.
The immigration crisis is causing tensions in cities in the north of the country. In late January, several thousand people protested against the mass influx of illegal immigrants and the rise in crime, shouting slogans such as “criminals out!”.
A similar demonstration took place on September 25, when immigrant tents were set on fire.
The state of emergency has been declared for 15 days and the government may extend the measure for another 15 days.
It allows the formation of mixed patrols, consisting of police and military, to set up observation points and to develop UAVs and helicopters.
“Yes to legal immigration, yes to those who come to our borders and tell the truth (…). No to illegal immigration, not to those who enter fraudulently, not telling the truth, using forged papers, going through unauthorized crossings” , said outgoing President Sebastian Pinera shortly after announcing the deployment of the army.
The town of Kolsane in the Andes, on the border with Bolivia, is the transit point most often used by immigrants. At least 23 people died last year taking the dangerous route to it, at high altitude.
A building complex that had been turned into an immigrant reception center in Kolsane was closed after a new law came into force that allows authorities to repatriate illegal immigrants.
“More than 100 have already been escorted back,” on the other side of the border, “and we will continue on this path,” Piniera said.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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