Santiago, (EFE).- Chilean President José Antonio Kast presented on Monday the “Border Shield Plan,” a strategy that includes trenches, walls up to five meters high, and a greater military deployment to contain irregular migration along the border with Peru and Bolivia.
Kast participated in the event that marked the beginning of construction on the first ditch along the border with Peru, located in the Chacalluta Border Complex, which is the main crossing point between Chile and Peru.
The ditch will be 30 kilometers long, 3 meters wide, and 3 meters deep. According to official information, it is expected to be completed within 90 days.
During the event, Kast stated that the country “has been violated by illegal immigration, by drug trafficking, by organized crime.”
The president, who took office last week, explained that it is not just a ditch, but rather an “integral system” consisting of “physical, technological, and human barriers,” which also requires collaboration with other nations.
Accompanied by a large official delegation, which included the Minister of Public Security, Trinidad Steinert; the Minister of the Interior, Claudio Alvarado, and the Minister of National Defense, Fernando Barros, Kast will visit military bases and border complexes to coordinate the process, which has already begun with the construction of barriers.
In addition to deepening existing border trenches and excavating new ones, Kast’s plan includes the construction of walls and fences up to five meters in height, the placement of wire fences, and the deployment of military technology and autonomous drones to increase surveillance.
Just hours after assuming the presidency of the South American country, Kast signed a series of decrees focused on irregular migration. In these documents, he ordered his ministers to “manage legal changes to discourage irregular migration,” “modify the rules on the use of force to create more tools against clandestine entry,” and “construct physical barriers in required sectors.”
The Chilean leader then signed a second decree titled ‘National Border Closure Policy,’ which urges the Ministries of Defense, Interior, and National Assets to “increase military resources” on the northern border, “improve surveillance through drones and optronic sensors,” and “improve communications.”
Migration has doubled since 2017 and currently represents over 8% of the population, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), which estimates that more than 330,000 migrants are in an irregular situation, mostly Venezuelans.
Nearly one million Venezuelan citizens live in Chile, most of whom are integrated into the country and contribute 1.03% to fiscal revenue, equivalent to 0.15% of the national GDP, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Official figures show that the irregular entry of people has decreased by 54% compared to the crisis that occurred four years ago. EFE
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