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, calling it the first step toward fulfilling his campaign vow to stem illegal immigration.
Currently, only a small portion of the planned barrier has been cut into the arid Atacama desert, consisting of a trench a few feet wide and deep. Kast's plan aligns closely with similar pledges made by former U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly regarding border security.
During his visit to the construction site near Arica, Kast stated, Chile has been violated by illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and organized crime, declaring his intention to use the excavators to build a sovereign Chile.
While Kast aims to address growing concerns over insecurity and illegal immigration, critics worry about the implications for human rights, especially given the dramatic increase in Chile's foreign population over the past decade, from less than 600,000 in 2015 to over 1.5 million in 2024.
The government estimates around 336,000 are undocumented migrants, primarily from Venezuela. Kast's presidency represents a sharp pivot to the right for Chile, following a period of leftist governance. His narrative emphasizes that Chile is descending into chaos, despite it being one of the safest countries in South America, thus feeding a climate of fear that resonates with his electoral base. His administration plans to cover about half of the roughly 1,080 kilometers of border with Peru and Bolivia using a combination of trenches, fences, and surveillance systems.
