Mar 19, 2026, 1:12 p.mMar 19, 2026, 3:02 p.m
The new Chilean president, José Kast, has started building a wall on the border with Peru. On Monday, March 16, Kast himself appeared before the media at the construction site.
Video: watson/nina bürge
The wall is being built in the Atacama Desert, where Chile borders Peru. Building the wall is one of several promises Kast made during his election campaign. He justifies the construction by saying that Chile is at risk from illegal immigrants, crime and drug gangs from Peru. If this is not stopped, Chile would sink into uncertainty and chaos, said Kast.
The border is to be protected with a wall and fences, which are to be controlled and monitored by soldiers. The Chilean-Peruvian border covers around 180 kilometers of border area.
José Antonio Kast was officially named Chile’s new president on March 11. He was elected last December. He won the election with 58 percent of the vote, defeating the left-wing candidate Augusto Pinochet. During the election campaign, Kast campaigned on fighting crime in the country and deporting migrants without valid residence documents from the country. The president also plans to stimulate the South American country’s economy.
Kast already used the first days of his term in office to issue six decrees. These are intended to strengthen border security and make it easier to deport migrants or not allow them into the country. According to estimates, around 300,000 people without valid documents currently live in Chile. (nib)
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