Chile's new president has begun work on a border barrier just five days after being sworn into office. José Antonio Kast appeared at the site along Chile's northern border with Peru on Monday to inspect the trench and chat with construction workers, hailing it as the first step towards meeting his campaign promise to stem illegal immigration. Only a small portion of the planned barrier has so far been cut into the arid Atacama desert—a ditch a few feet wide and deep. It is one of several policies of Kast's that echo pledges by US President Donald Trump, who has made constructing a wall at the Mexican border a common refrain at rallies and a crucial part of his own immigration policy.
Kast said Chile had been violated by illegal immigration, drug trafficking and organized crime, adding that he wanted to use the diggers behind him to build a sovereign Chile. For all of Chile, he claimed, this is a milestone. Kast has portrayed Chile as a country descending into chaos and insecurity, and prior to his election, pledged to restore order and implement sharp spending cuts.
Chile is one of the safest and most stable countries in South America, but a rise in immigration and organized crime has spread concern among its citizens. The foreign population has surged, jumping from less than 600,000 in 2015 to more than 1.5 million in 2024, with about 336,000 of them estimated to be undocumented migrants.
The trench-digging on Monday marks the start of the border shield promise that helped Kast win the presidency with 58% of the vote in December. The barrier will include trenches and fences, patrolled by military personnel, with additional surveillance systems to deter unauthorized crossings. The Chilean border spans around 180km with Peru and a further 900km with Bolivia, although the barrier will only encompass roughly half of this.
This election represents one of the most significant rightward shifts in Chilean politics since the end of the military dictatorship in 1990. Kast, a known admirer of former dictator Augusto Pinochet and US President Trump, is expected to align closely with their approaches to immigration.
Kast said Chile had been violated by illegal immigration, drug trafficking and organized crime, adding that he wanted to use the diggers behind him to build a sovereign Chile. For all of Chile, he claimed, this is a milestone. Kast has portrayed Chile as a country descending into chaos and insecurity, and prior to his election, pledged to restore order and implement sharp spending cuts.
Chile is one of the safest and most stable countries in South America, but a rise in immigration and organized crime has spread concern among its citizens. The foreign population has surged, jumping from less than 600,000 in 2015 to more than 1.5 million in 2024, with about 336,000 of them estimated to be undocumented migrants.
The trench-digging on Monday marks the start of the border shield promise that helped Kast win the presidency with 58% of the vote in December. The barrier will include trenches and fences, patrolled by military personnel, with additional surveillance systems to deter unauthorized crossings. The Chilean border spans around 180km with Peru and a further 900km with Bolivia, although the barrier will only encompass roughly half of this.
This election represents one of the most significant rightward shifts in Chilean politics since the end of the military dictatorship in 1990. Kast, a known admirer of former dictator Augusto Pinochet and US President Trump, is expected to align closely with their approaches to immigration.
