Chile sees migrant crossings rise ahead of presidential vote

COLCHANE, Chile — A merciless prima seared the migrants arsenic they walked done 1 of the driest places successful the world, trying to illegally transverse the borderline from Bolivia into Chile fearing it mightiness soon beryllium closed.

It has go communal successful caller months to spot migrants trudging crossed the Atacama Desert but the travel appears to person accrued successful caller days up of Chile’s statesmanlike runoff Sunday. The migrants fearfulness that if far-right campaigner José Antonio Kast wins helium volition adjacent the borderline arsenic helium promised during his campaign.

The blimpish lawmaker, who has defended Chile’s subject dictatorship, finished archetypal successful the country’s statesmanlike predetermination successful November but did not get capable votes to triumph outright mounting up a runoff against leftist Gabriel Boric. Kast has said helium volition bid a ditch to beryllium built to forestall migrants from crossing from Bolivia.

Immigration has been a recurring taxable successful Chile’s statesmanlike run arsenic the state sees an expanding travel of migrants, chiefly from Venezuela, but besides from nations similar Haiti and Colombia. It’s a divisive contented and precocious determination was a wide publicized lawsuit of Chileans attacking Venezuelan migrants successful Iquique, adjacent the borderline with Bolivia and Peru.

The U.N. International Organization for Migration estimates determination are astir 1.7 cardinal immigrants successful Chile. Only this year, Chilean authorities person registered much than 25,000 radical arriving done the Atacama Desert, a important summation compared to the 16,500 for each 2020.

“We person relatives present successful Chile who told america that we had to spell earlier Dec. 19, due to the fact that if the 1 who won the archetypal circular (Kast) wins again, helium volition adjacent each borders,” said Rayber Rodríguez, a Venezuelan traveling with his woman and daughter.

Tatiana Castro, a Colombian who besides crossed into Chile done the desert, enactment it bluntly. “We had to transverse close present for fearfulness that they would nonstop america back.”

She said radical “do not cognize however hard it is, that we person to spell done galore countries and crossed galore borders wherever it is hard for us, we person to endure hunger… acold weather.”

The borderline has been guarded for months by the constabulary and the army, though migrants transverse utilizing antithetic paths successful the godforsaken successful plain sight. The borderline country was bare until fewer years ago. Now it looks similar the transit country of a bid terminal.

Once successful Chilean territory, migrants are not detained. Some support walking to the closest metropolis portion others crook themselves successful to authorities truthful they tin commencement a process that mightiness assistance them to regularize their migration status.

Colchane, a Chilean municipality adjacent the borderline with less than 1,600 inhabitants, mostly Indigenous Aymara, has seen a changeless travel of migrants successful caller months. Sometimes the migrants outnumber the section population.

“We can’t instrumentality it anymore”, said Nicolás Mamani Gómez, who wants Kast to win, truthful “no much immigrants volition come.”

Some of the migrants locomotion further aft crossing the borderline and marque it to the metropolis of Iquique.

There, immoderate of the migrants person been surviving successful nationalist parks and beaches. And not each the residents are happy. A fewer weeks ago, immoderate locals attacked a campy wherever Venezuelans were staying and burned their belongings.

Virginia Carrasco, a 30 years-old Venezuelan, crossed the godforsaken and entered into Chile with her 3 children — 11 and 8 years old, and a babe of six months — looking for a amended life.

Carrasco said she wants a amended wellness attraction strategy for them.

“In Venezuela’s hospitals you get nothing,” she said, arsenic she dragged a cart filled with suitcases, bags and backpacks. “There are radical who person died due to the fact that they cannot get medicine oregon doctors. I expect a amended prime of beingness for my children successful Chile, that’s wherefore I came here.”

Luna reported from Santiago, Chile.