Peru decrees a state of emergency and militarizes its borders before the arrival of migrants

First modification: 04/27/2023 – 12:35 PM

In principle, the state of emergency begins to apply from this Thursday. However, the executive has not specified its duration or if rights will be restricted at border points.

“Citizen insecurity”

Relying on press reports that indicate that “those who commit assaults, robberies and other criminal acts on a daily basis are foreigners,” Peruvian President Dina Boluarte argued that her decision is aimed at combating insecurity. “That is why we (have to) speak almost in unison about migrations with citizen insecurity,” she said.

The troops will support surveillance at the border crossings with Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia. “The national police will maintain control of internal order with the support of the armed forces,” Boluarte emphasized at a press conference with various ministers.

Majority of Haitians and Venezuelans

Under the desert sun and cold, hundreds of migrants who left Chile have been crowding together for weeks at the border crossing between the Peruvian city of Tacna and the Chilean city of Arica, where the Peruvian authorities prevent them from passing.

Women, men and children are trapped between Chilean and Peruvian police officers who are guarding the border point, 1,500 km south of Lima. The Peruvian government blocked their way and sent 200 troops to reinforce immigration controls, which Chile had previously tightened.

According to the UN office for refugees (Acnur), the majority are Haitians and Venezuelans. Migrants assure that they only intend to cross Peruvian territory towards their countries of origin or to the United States, to reunite with their families.

It is estimated that the Venezuelan population in Peru, which represents almost nine out of 10 foreigners, is close to 1.3 million people, of which a third does not have a migratory permit to stay in the country, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INEI).

UNHCR advocates for a humanitarian solution

UNHCR issued a statement on Wednesday night in which it called for a humanitarian solution to the situation of migrants on the border with Chile because although “it is the legitimate duty of States to control their borders; It is also important to have regular pathways so that people in need of international protection, family reunification and other humanitarian issues can access the territory through checkpoints.”

The UN agency welcomed some of the measures announced by Lima, including an “amnesty of fines that will allow 100,000 refugees and migrants in the country to regularize and update their data.” “Regularization is a lifeline: regular status is a door to local integration,” he added.

In addition to the state of emergency, Boluarte also announced that those who in recent years have entered Peru irregularly “will have a period of six months to go before the Peruvian authorities to regularize their situation.”