Chile’s crackdown on migrants unleashes a border crisis: Peru sends in the army

Gear.- A detachment of 300 soldiers of the Peruvian army Posted on Friday afternoon Chilean borderin the middle of the humanitarian crisis Who lives in the area, where Hundreds of migrants – mostly Venezuelans – have been stranded trying to enter Peru, after immigration controls were tightened in Chile..

The arrival of the troops is part of The state of emergency declared by the government of Dina Polwart decided both in Tacna As in the rest of its border provinces for Control of illegal entry of immigrants.

Thus, the army has positioned itself on the “second line” of containment, behind the line formed by the Peruvian National Police (PNP), which already has about 390 soldiers.

According to Peruvian authorities, The armed forces will only perform the function of supporting the policeand “in no way” are they authorized to use their regulatory weapons.

The Peruvian Minister of Defense, Jorge Chavez, is in charge of monitoring the deployment of the army on the border, who explained some of the tasks that the armed forces will carry out in the region. “We have the mission, once again, on a national front to support our national police in Peru,” he said. Chavez confirmed that “This does not mean that the region will become militarized, nor does it mean that the entire Tacna region will be flooded with soldiers.”and stressed that they would only work cooperatively.

Meanwhile, Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela are considering opening a humanitarian corridor for hundreds of migrants who have left Chilean territory. Peruvian Interior Minister Vicente Romero said Friday that they could cross into their countries of origin.

Governments often try to find a solution for immigrants Haitians, Venezuelans, Colombians, and Ecuadorianswho left Chile in the past two weeks after Tightening immigration controls.

Peru bans them from passing, claiming that they do not have documentsIt even decreed a 60-day state of emergency on its borders on Wednesday and ordered soldiers to be sent in to strengthen surveillance and counter insecurity associated with aliens, according to Polurat.

“At the State Department level, they are working with both Chile and Ecuador and also with Venezuela to be able to see and in what way they can cross those borders without running into any problems,” Romero told RPP radio.

He added that what is important is “to provide the necessary security for all foreigners who want to return voluntarily to their countries.” “Once the humanitarian corridor is established, it will be implemented as it should be,” the minister promised.

The immigration situation between Peru and Chile has become tense in recent weeks, even affecting the political scene, as both Lima and Santiago summoned the ambassadors of the neighboring country to express their dissatisfaction with the situation.

The mayor of the Peruvian city of Tacna, Pascual Joysa, denounced the wave of migrants trying to cross into Peru through its southern border, and even called it “Irresponsible and irresponsible” to the Chilean President, Gabriel Boric.

Amnesty International has called on the governments of Chile and Peru to de-militarize their borders in response to the migration crisis. The humanitarian organization indicated that it is a crisis of people in need of international protection, who need comprehensive attention that places human rights at the center of the two governments’ response.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the High Commissioner for Refugees (Acnor) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are “concerned” about migrants waiting at the Chilean-Peruvian border to enter Peru. to Chile and their papers were not certified.

The UN representative referred in particular to the situation of minors waiting with their parents at the border and who “in many cases lack shelter, water, food and health services”.

“What is really important is that the two countries confront this problem with dialogue and that the welfare of human beings is at the heart of their concerns, whether they are migrants or refugees,” said the UN spokesperson.

Dujarric didn’t mention either country specifically, nor did he criticize the authorities, but told them to put immigrants’ “dignity” first. “They must be respected, as well as their rights as refugees, and we will be there to ensure that their basic needs are met; this is something that must be dealt with directly between the two countries,” he stressed.

DPA, AP and AFP agencies

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