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President Jose Jarry peru He said his government would declare a state of emergency on the country’s southern border on Friday and deploy significantly more armed forces to the area. Venezuelan Migrants are heading north from Chile, where anti-immigrant sentiment has surged amid a tough presidential election campaign.
Thousands of migrants fleeing crises in their home countries or long seeking better opportunities abroad have crossed the continent and Peru’s border to build new lives in Chile, one of Latin America’s most stable and prosperous countries.
But many people without legal status in Chile – mostly Venezuelans who fled their country’s economic ruin and authoritarian rule in recent years – are now moving in the other direction as Chile prepares to toughen its stance against immigration.
Ultraconservative lawyer Jose Antonio Caste, the favorite to win Chile’s presidential election on December 14, has built his campaign around popular fears over immigration from Venezuela and the rise in organized crime. He filmed a campaign video last week on Chile’s desert border with Peru, warning immigrants without formal status to get out of the country while they still can.
“You have 111 days to leave Chile voluntarily,” he said in the ad, referring to the number of days until a new administration takes power to replace current leftist President Gabriel Boric. “If not, we will stop you, we will detain you, we will expel you. You will leave with only the clothes on your back.”
Soon Peruvian media were filled with images of migrant families fleeing north from Chile to Peru, their belongings stuffed into backpacks and garbage bags.
Within days, Zari traveled to the same area to inspect border controls and send armed forces to boost security operations.
Residents of Chile’s northern border towns reported increasing chaos as crowds of people who had left Chile but were not allowed to enter Peru were stranded in limbo. On Friday, Zari convened his cabinet to declare a state of emergency in the region.
There is no clear data on how many people have decided to leave Chile in the wake of Casta’s threats of mass deportation and immigration lawyers describe it as a rise in xenophobia in the South American country home to 18.5 million people.
On Friday, Kast released a new video reiterating his warning to immigrants and urging Borick to intervene.
When asked how Caste’s statements affected the outflow of migrants, Chile’s Security Minister Luis Cordero responded that “rhetoric sometimes has consequences.”
,People “Elections cannot be used as a means of creating controversy,” he said, adding, “Our main objective is to prevent humanitarian crisis.”
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Pereda Zavaleta reported from Lima, Peru