Peru Declares State of Emergency as Migrants Flee Chile Ahead Of Kast Run-Off

Peru has declared a state of emergency along its southern frontier with Chile, citing an expected rise in people attempting to leave Chile ahead of its 14 December presidential run-off, AFP reported. The measure, announced on Friday (28 November), comes amid growing fear among migrants that far-right candidate José Antonio Kast is poised to win the election.

Under the decree, the Peruvian military will reinforce controls in the Tacna border region for 60 days, extending beyond the Chilean vote in which Mr Kast, an immigration hardliner, is competing against left-wing contender Jeannette Jara. The order states that the emergency will also serve “to address crime and other situations of violence” in the border zone, with the National Police maintaining internal order and the armed forces providing support.

President José Jeri had signalled earlier in the day that such a step was imminent after dozens of migrants were reported stranded between the two countries, according to AFP. A video posted by the governor of Chile’s Arica region showed crowds attempting to leave through the Chacalluta–Santa Rosa crossing, roughly 2,200 kilometres north of Santiago.

A Venezuelan migrant told the Chilean outlet The Clinic that the group was desperate to exit Chile “for fear that they remove us by force” if Mr Kast wins. “They don’t want to let us into Peru,” the migrant said, requesting anonymity. Radio Tacna in Peru broadcast images of families walking along the highway near the border, many carrying young children.

Peru has long been both a country of origin and a transit point for people heading to Chile, one of the region’s more economically stable states. This week’s scenes, however, reverse the usual southward flow just as polls suggest Mr Kast, a 59-year-old former MP making his third presidential bid, is favoured to win, AFP reported. He has issued a stark ultimatum to the estimated 330,000 undocumented migrants in Chile, urging them to self-deport or face expulsion if he takes office.

“To undocumented immigrants in Chile, I say you have 103 days left to leave our country voluntarily,” Mr Kast said in a video posted on Friday. His message was timed to the 11 March handover date, when the successor to outgoing centre-left President Gabriel Boric is sworn in. He has repeatedly blamed irregular migration for rising violent crime over the past decade.

Peru’s foreign minister, Hugo de Zela, said the situation will be taken up by a “binational migration cooperation committee” meeting next week. But he made clear that Peru will not accept further irregular entries. Since 2015, more than 1.5 million Venezuelans have settled in the country.

“We will not allow irregular migration. We do not have the conditions or capacity to receive more migrants,” he said.

(With inputs from AFP)