Members of the Chilean Army guard the border crossing at the northern border between Chile and Bolivia, in the commune of Colchane, Tarapaca region, Chile, last March. File Photo by Javier Martin/EPA
Chile formally began building trenches and walls Monday at the Chacalluta border crossing with Peru as part of a new security plan launched by President José Antonio Kast’s recently inaugurated conservative government.
The initiative, known as “Escudo Fronterizo,” or Border Shield, seeks to curb irregular migration and combat transnational crime by strengthening border controls, a campaign pledge Kast made. The plan also will extend to critical sections of the border with Bolivia.
Heavy machinery and military personnel began to arrivie Friday in the Chacalluta area, near the northern city of Arica, to start the project. Authorities plan to excavate trenches up to 10 feet deep and build walls as high as 16 1/2 feet at strategic points. The works could eventually span as much as 323 miles o border territory.
The project also includes surveillance technology, such as sensors and monitoring systems, according to Chilean outlet Radio Biobio.
Officials said the measures respond to what the government describes as a security crisis that many in Chile associate with rising irregular migration. The goal is to channel migrant flows exclusively through authorized border crossings.
Defense Minister Fernando Barros said the plan does not aim to militarize the border.
“The idea is not to militarize, but to establish modern, efficient systems that allow for peace of mind, so that those who enter Chile do so in accordance with procedures,” Barros told Chilean newspaper La Tercera.
Simultaneously, authorities on Monday began to build trenches and other security barriers in the town of Colchane, along the border with Bolivia.
Chilean lawmaker Sebastián Videla told Bolivian broadcaster Red Uno that the measures also seek to reinforce control in an area where authorities have reported smuggling and the illegal transfer of vehicles into Bolivian territory.
“It is a place where criminal gangs operate, taking vehicles from Chile to Bolivia. We believe closing unauthorized crossings is a good measure,” Videla said.
Authorities estimate about 120,000 stolen or undocumented vehicles enter Bolivia each year from northern Chile. Criminal groups use clandestine routes — at least seven new ones have been recently identified — to evade inspections by Bolivia’s National Customs Service and Chilean police.
Smuggling in Bolivia is a widespread activity. Bolivia’s National Chamber of Industries estimates it has generated more than $26 billion over the past decade, growing at a pace that doubles that of the country’s formal economy.
Since taking office at La Moneda presidential palace, Kast has repeatedly described his administration as an “emergency government,” echoing campaign statements in which he warned that Chile faces major challenges in security, the economy and state administration.
