Peru Declares State of Emergency as Migrants Block Southern Border
Peruvian President José Jerí has announced he is moving forward with plans to declare a state of emergency after undocumented migrants blocked the country's southern border with Chile. The dramatic development comes as migrants flee Chile ahead of a threatened crackdown on migration by Chilean presidential candidate José Antonio Kast.
"Our borders must be respected," President Jerí declared in a social media post on Friday. He confirmed that an extraordinary Cabinet meeting is being convened to declare the state of emergency, which will reinforce surveillance efforts with the Armed Forces.
Border Blockade Creates Regional Chaos
According to reports from Peruvian television channel Canal N, dozens of undocumented migrants completely blocked the crucial Tacna–Arica border crossing between Peru and Chile on Friday. The migrants demanded entry into Peru to continue traveling to their home countries, explaining they were leaving Chile due to increasingly strict immigration policies.
The blockade created massive traffic delays on both sides of the frontier, disrupting commercial and passenger movement. Luis Torres, the regional governor of Tacna, told RPP Noticias that between 70 and 80 Venezuelan migrants were stranded on the Chilean side of the border.
"They've even blocked the road — they're not letting cars, trucks, or anything pass," Torres reported, highlighting the severity of the situation.
Political Tensions Fuel Migration Crisis
The border crisis emerges amid rising political tensions in Chile, where presidential candidate José Antonio Kast has taken a hardline stance on migration. Kast, the arch-conservative frontrunner, recently visited Chile's border area and warned undocumented migrants to leave voluntarily or face expulsion.
Kast's warning appears to have triggered the current exodus, with many migrants choosing to head north toward Peru. The Chilean presidential candidate reinforced his position in a social media post early Friday, stating: "To the irregular immigrants in Chile, you have 103 days left to leave our homeland voluntarily."
As Chile prepares for its December 14 runoff election between Kast and communist rival Jeannette Jara, migration policies have become a central campaign issue. The current leftist President Gabriel Boric had already deployed troops along Chile's northern border in 2023, particularly at the porous remote frontier with Bolivia, to block clandestine entries.
According to the latest estimates from Chile's migration agency, close to 337,000 undocumented migrants were in Chile during 2023, with Venezuelans constituting the largest group.
Emergency Measures and Regional Implications
President Jerí's declaration of a state of emergency represents a significant escalation in Peru's response to the migration crisis. The emergency measures will allow the military to assume some police functions and suspend certain civil liberties, including the right to assembly.
Additionally, Jerí announced that immigration and police authorities will intensify identity checks to ensure public safety. These developments highlight how migration policies in one South American nation can quickly create ripple effects across the region, with Peru now facing the immediate consequences of Chile's internal political debates about migration.
The situation remains fluid at the Tacna–Arica border crossing, with authorities from both countries working to resolve the blockade while managing the humanitarian aspects of the migrant exodus from Chile.
