Chile's President José Antonio Kast has initiated work on a border barrier just five days after being sworn into office, visiting a site along the northern border with Peru on Monday. Kast inspected the trench in the arid Atacama desert, chatted with construction workers, and hailed it as the first step toward fulfilling his campaign promise to stem illegal immigration. So far, only a small portion of the planned barrier—a ditch a few feet wide and deep—has been excavated.
This policy by Kast echoes pledges by US President Donald Trump, who made constructing a wall at the Mexican border a key part of his immigration agenda. Repeating his campaign rhetoric, Kast claimed Chile had been "violated by illegal immigration, drug trafficking and organised crime," adding that he wanted to use the diggers behind him to "build a sovereign Chile." At the site near the border town of Arica, he stated, "For all of Chile, this is a milestone."
Chile is regarded as one of the safest and most stable countries in South America, yet a rise in immigration and organised crime has sparked concern among Chileans in recent years. According to World Bank data, the foreign population has surged from less than 600,000 in 2015 to over 1.5 million in 2024, with the government estimating that about 336,000 are undocumented migrants, many from Venezuela.
The trench-digging marks the start of the "border shield" promise that helped Kast win the presidency by 58% in December. The barrier will consist of trenches and fences, patrolled by military personnel, with surveillance systems and obstacles also planned to deter crossings. Chile's border with Peru spans around 180km and with Bolivia an additional 900km, though the interior ministry has said the barrier will cover only roughly half of this length.
Kast's election, succeeding left-winger Gabriel Boric, represents the nation's most abrupt rightward shift since the end of its military dictatorship in 1990. He has openly praised Chile's former right-wing dictator Augusto Pinochet and is an admirer of Trump, with the two poised to align on issues like undocumented migration. Emulating Trump's policies, Kast's supporters have been seen wearing red "Make Chile Great Again" caps, mirroring Trump's "Maga" hats.
Source: www.bbc.com