President José Jerí announced the declaration of a state of emergency on the border with Chili in order to reinforce state control and optimize the management of migratory flows in Tacna. The measure was addressed in the Council of Ministers extraordinary and will allow for immediate actions to strengthen surveillance, coordinate joint operations and improve response capacity at border points.
“We are going to declare a state of emergency on the border with Chile to generate tranquility in the face of the risk of entry of migrants without authorization that could threaten the citizen security of our country,” reads Jerí’s post on social networks. As announced hours before, the Immigration offices and the border police will intensify identity controls in the area.
At a press conference, the chancellor Hugo de Zelaannounced that the Minister of the Interior will be traveling to Tacna to supervise actions at the border. In addition, he said that they are in communication with the United Nations High Commissioner for the protection of refugees.
“The idea is to try to solve the problems through cooperation between both countries. (…) the state of emergency will allow us to increase the police and military presence. It is not an isolated decision since the state of emergency is planned along the entire border. We do not have the conditions or capacity to receive more migrants, our capacities are full, so we are going to strictly apply Peruvian laws,” he said.
Along the same lines, Vicente Tiburcio, Minister of the Interior, commented that they will carry out controls so that irregular foreign citizens do not enter through the border and confirmed that he will travel to the border area of Tacna.
“We are going to have the support of the Armed Forces, the police are already reinforcing controls. Our borders are respected and there will be a state presence in that area. Over the course of a few days, the state of emergency will be implemented for all of Peru’s borders (…) The entire border area of Tacna has already been reinforced, and my presence in Tacna will be to coordinate immediately,” he told Canal N.
The president assured that before midnight on Friday, November 28, the measure will be made official in the official gazette. “Today, before 12 AM, the state of emergency in Tacna will be approved, published and in force to reinforce security at our borders. This will be the first of our borders to be declared an emergency for reasons of irregular migration and citizen security.”
This occurs after a significant increase in migrants trying to enter the country irregularly was reported. It is worth remembering that José Antonio Kast, candidate for the presidency of Chile for the Republican Party, gave an ultimatum to irregular foreigners. “You have 103 days for you to voluntarily leave our homeland,” he said.
YOU CAN SEE: Lima routes: council approves emergency ordinance in case company stops operating on December 2
Governor of Tacna supports state of emergency
Luis Torres Robledo, regional governor of Tacnashowed his support for the measure announced by Jerí and reported that his management had requested this measure days ago. In addition, he demanded that the government be able to provide food, rest and equipment. Suitable for police and military personnel who will be guarding the border.
“Not only do we have to send more reinforcements, but also with the necessary logistics for the police and the army (…) Meanwhile, the local authorities have agreed to be a team and stop this avalanche of illegals. The only bad thing is that they are closing the runways and right during the Christmas season. We want both foreign ministers to talk and see a solution because these undocumented migrants, no matter how illegal they may be, are human beings and deserve to be treated as human beings,” he said for Canal N.
State of emergency is made official in Diario El Peruano
Through a publication in the official newspaper El Peruano, the Peruvian Government declared State of Emergency for 60 days in the border districts of Palca, Tacna and La Yarada-Los Palos, province of Tacna. The National Police of Perutogether with the Armed Forces and the Serenazgo, assumes control of internal order through patrols, border surveillance, identity control operations and inspection of illegal markets, prioritizing the protection of vulnerable people.
In addition, the creation of a Unified Operational Coordination Command and intelligence, oversight and strategic communication committees to coordinate actions, collect information and communicate results.
