A multitudinous march against irregular immigration carried out this Saturday in Iquique, north of Chile, ended with violent incidents against foreigners who are stranded in the city waiting to regularize their situation.
With Chilean flags and posters that prayed “no more illegal”, around 5,000 attendees (according to police sources) expressed their rejection of the migratory wave that has been at the northern area of the country in full crisis for the collapse of some spaces
Public and uncontrolled immigration policy.
The Iquique column was also found with protesters who reached the regional capital from Colchane, the border commune most affected by the crisis since daily enter hundreds of people who are stranded in that locality.
“We want the government once and for all approaching the commune, converse with our communities and clear policies and actions around surrendering security and also to respect our rights as aymara,” said the mayor of Colchane, Javier García.
“Like migrants who enjoy international protection, indigenous peoples in Chile also enjoy international rights protection,” he added.
The march, which passed through the center of the city, ended up with the burning of the tents used by foreigners to overnight in squares and beaches, which has been denounced as a xenophobic attack.
Most of the belongings were from Venezuelans, according to Reuters.
The Interior Minister, Rodrigo Delgado, responded to the criticism and said the government will continue to strengthen the border plan with more personal and more technical means “in order to stop the passage of people who want to enter Chile clandestinely.”
He also reiterated that he will resume massive deportations of migrants, a policy that is paralyzed by justice at this time and that has been very criticized by international organizations and human rights.
To date there are about 3,000 people who are stranded in Iquique, much of them after having entered Chile by steps not enabled on the border and crossing the route to the coast.
During the past Friday, a broad operating in Chile’s carabineros evicted a camp of a hundred migrants who slept in Plaza Brasil, in the center of Iquique, where they settled a few months ago of the migratory crisis.
According to the Research Police (PDI) of Chile, between January and July of this year, 23,673 income complaints were recorded on the country through non-authorized steps, 40% of all 2020.
