Photo credit: Reuters
Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast has launched the border control works he had promised during the campaign.
MercoPress reports that the “border shield” starts in Chacalluta in the Arica and Parinacota region. This is an early sign that migration and security will be among the defining priorities of his administration. According to Chile’s presidency, Kast inspected the works at the frontier and highlighted the Army’s deployment to secure the area.
During the visit, Kast said the country was beginning to “stop illegal migration,” echoing the message that helped carry him to office after a campaign focused on border enforcement, organized crime and drug trafficking. Reports said the intervention began near the Chacalluta crossing on the Peruvian border and is part of a broader plan that also covers the regions of Tarapaca and Antofagasta, including the Colchane area on the border with Bolivia.
The plan includes physical barriers in the north, a stronger military presence and expanded technological surveillance through drones, cameras, sensors and other monitoring equipment. According to statements attributed to the Interior Minister Claudio Alvarado, the infrastructure would extend for roughly 500 kilometres and be built within 90 days, although the government had not yet fully detailed the final design of the works.
While tougher border measures respond to a demand present in part of the Chilean public opinion, the official data show that pressure at unauthorized crossings was already easing before the change in government. That leaves an open debate not only about territorial control, but also about the proportionality and effectiveness of a strategy built around physical infrastructure, military deployment and stronger criminal penalties for irregular entry.
