Migration and Security: Clarification Needed

El Líbero, June 4, 2022

The issue today is not about the displacements themselves, but rather about illegal entries, the lack of control over who is entering, and how this phenomenon is exploited by criminal organizations and organized crime.

The first public report included announcements. The security was one of the five key areas. However, there was one topic that was mentioned, but given its importance and relation to that particular area, it could have been accompanied by a specific agenda. I am referring to migration. 

President Boric spoke about implementing the National Migration Policy, working in those areas that have “experienced the consequences of unregulated migration” most intensely, and making a significant investment in security infrastructure as part of the Our North Program .A first clarification regarding this:

there is not unregulated migration; there is uncontrolled migration. Not far from here, during the summer, the mayor of Colchane reported almost daily on the number of foreigners crossing through unauthorized entry points. It was said that between 400 and 500 people were entering illegally each day. The migratory phenomenon has accompanied humanity since its origins. But the issue today is not about the displacements themselves, but rather about illegal entries, the lack of control over who is entering, and how this phenomenon is exploited by criminal organizations and organized crime. 

Migrants who travel irregularly become prey to organizations that profit from their needs. In this sense, Chile is no exception. 

Uncontrolled migration and the desire to enter our country have allowed the development of criminal economies dedicated to human trafficking. In this regard, this week we learned about the dismantling of a criminal organization made up of Chileans and foreigners that, through a supposed travel agency, was illegally bringing people into the Arica and Parinacota region and transporting them by land to the O’Higgins region. More than 1,700 people entered Chile thanks to this “agency.” Moreover, the uncontrolled migration at the border also creates a scenario that is exploited by criminal groups to enter the country. An example of this is the Venezuelans from the

Aragua Train , an organization dedicated to extortion and kidnapping that operates in Iquique.And, if we add to this an

absent state with little control over its territory, the situation becomes even more complex. A dual challenge arises: to protect the population on one hand, and to develop a migration policy that aligns with national reality on the other. In some way, it is observed that the idea of security is incorporated into the presidential announcements. But it is not enough. The recovery of police checkpoints and stations can be part of a broader response to address the migration issue in all its aspects. However, it is necessary to take a step back and ask what has caused this uncontrolled migration. In that case, the answer lies in the 

presence of the state, the exercise of sovereignty, and territorial control .With that idea in mind, an action plan for the Northern Macrozone can be designed that addresses the phenomenon as a whole, considering the weaknesses and strengths that the state may have. In this sense, a concrete agenda for the north and the migratory phenomenon was lacking. 

Pilar Lizana 

Researcher at AthenaLab 
Source:

El Líbero.