Colchane: President Gabriel Boric makes a series of announcements on security and connectivity to deal with irregular migration
The President announced the expansion and improvement of border crossings, including Colchane, a municipality that will also have its first police station. He also presented two projects to simplify and speed up the deportation process.
President Gabriel Boric visited the municipality of Colchane today as promised, as part of his tour of the Tarapacá Region. While there, he took the opportunity to make a series of announcements about the control of irregular migration and the security of the population.
The President recognized that the far north of Chile has experienced the effects of the massive and irregular entry of people in recent years, “who mostly come to our country looking for opportunities.”
However, we warned that “unfortunately, some of them also come with criminal intent. I want to be very clear that those people who come to commit crimes are not welcome; we will persecute them and, within the rule of law, we will make their lives impossible.”
President Boric stressed that the Government has given firm and clear signals in this regard, such as the deployment of Armed Forces personnel, who for three weeks have been working in the Arica and Parinacota, Tarapacá and Antofagasta regions to strengthen border control alongside Carabineros (Uniformed police service) and the Policía de Investigaciones (Investigative police service, PDI).
Regarding military and police work on the border, the President reported that, for a number of days, personnel have had adequate accommodation, with an air conditioning system and an electric power generator, so that their work can be carried out in more optimal conditions.
“During the next few weeks, they will also receive new thermal cameras and a satellite communication system that will double their remote detection capacity and allow monitoring of currently uncontrolled areas. With these improvements, which will be extended to another six observation points in the Arica and Parinacota and Antofagasta regions, we will have a more effective and efficient border control system,” he stated.
New announcements
Among the announcements made by the President is the implementation of the National Border Crossings Plan, which will be under the control of the Public Works and Interior ministries. The plan will improve and expand Chile’s 40 border crossings, so that they have infrastructure in line with the new migratory reality.
One of them will be Colchane. In the first stage, it will receive new modules for use as accommodation, which will expand the number of Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) and PDI customs officials at the border. The facilities will then continue to be improved in the medium term.
“These measures aim to strengthen the presence of the State in order to contain and reduce irregular migration; but, in particular, as we discussed with the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the police, they will combat head-on the criminal organizations that take advantage of these flows and the needs of the people, in order to commit crimes such as human, drug and arms trafficking,” President Boric stated.
These measures will be joined by the First National Migration Policy, which will be presented in the first semester of this year.
The President also announced that he has told the new Foreign Affairs Minister to strengthen talks with our neighboring countries, in particular Bolivia, with whom we have not had diplomatic relations since 1978. “They are not currently redirecting Venezuelan and Colombian citizens who enter via the Colchane border and are not received by the place where they enter, and we have to solve that problem.”
In matters of security, he indicated that “we are promoting two bills that seek to simplify and speed up deportation processes in cases where necessary, for example, regarding those convicted of drug crimes. We are also carrying out much more intense control in prisons, from where criminal gangs often operate.”
In terms of security and connectivity, “the municipality of Colchane will soon have a police station, enhancing the capacity of the current substation, with the increase in police officers that this suggests. This implies the construction of a new building that is modern and adequate for serving the public. Secondly, after years of waiting, this 2023 we will begin the restoration of the 162km of route 15-CH between Colchane and Huara.”