Chile: protests in Arica and Antofagasta for the alleged murder of a truck driver by two migrants

The regions of Arica and Antofagasta, in the north of chili, woke up on Friday with roadblocks that forced the cancellation of flights in protest at the death of a truck driver allegedly killed by two immigrants. In the afternoon the demonstrations spread to the Valparaíso region, in the center of the country.

Throughout the day at least five cuts were maintained on the main routes of the region. The Minister of the Interior, Rodrigo Delgado, demanded that the protesters cease the blockades as a condition to be able to travel to the region and agree to the request for a meeting with the truckers’ unions.

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The truck drivers affirmed that their strike will be indefinite for the moment, until the authorities express concrete measures. In the early afternoon, the truck protests spread along the busy Route 68, which connects the Valparaíso region with the Metropolitan region.

The inhabitants of Antofagasta and the north of the country have been demanding more control from the government over the migratory flow coming from the porous border with Bolivia, where hundreds of people cross daily without any type of registration or background check.

The trigger for Friday’s protest was the death of a truck driver attacked on the route between Antofagasta and Mejillones, more than 1,400 kilometers north of Santiago, who allegedly, after being attacked and stopping his truck, was thrown into the void by two immigrants.

At this time, Los Libertadores roundabout, northern access to the city of Arica, continues with traffic suspended due to vehicle blockade.
Trucks enter this place from Peru and Bolivia, as well as vehicles from the airport.#Arica #Iquique #Antofagasta #Truckers #BlockRoute pic.twitter.com/5BLKYTXF9k

– North Border Arica (@FronteraNorte15) February 12, 2022

“A young carrier fell”Carabineros (police) General Gonzalo Castro informed the media. I know “they point to two of these immigrants because they would have interfered in the fall of this transporter”, he added. Local information spoke of a fall from about 8-10 meters high. Three immigrants were brought to justice and are detained for alleged participation in the crime of homicide, confirmed the Antofagasta prosecutor’s office.

“There is too much barbarity that happened yesterday with our colleague Byron, they brutally killed him and this cannot remain like this, unpunished. We have to do something. It no longer passes only through the transport union but clearly through the entire citizenry, we are in danger. In Antofagasta you can no longer circulate, you can no longer go out in peace,” declared one of the truck drivers who participated in the strike to the national television channel TVN.

President Sebastián Piñera, who, like a good part of the ministerial team, is on vacation, temporarily interrupted them to hold a meeting with his team where he requested to start dialogues with the northern carriers “to listen to their concerns and address concrete solutions,” according to a report. presidential statement. He also requested a greater number of police officers in the area.

Ariqueño truck drivers remain at the accesses to the city pic.twitter.com/XolKSq6qfZ

– Arica a day (@aricaldia) February 12, 2022

Meanwhile, dozens of flights were canceled in Santiago in the summer season and rescheduled due to the blockade in the north of the country. Some three thousand people, according to local media, were affected by the cancellations and waiting images were broadcast at the airports, with dozens occupying the ground while a solution was offered.

The regions of Arica, whose capital is Iquique, Antofagasta and Taracapá, in the north of the country, have been experiencing protests for weeks demanding greater security and an end to irregular immigration due to the arrival of hundreds of people every day and which has generated that the streets of the cities are full of makeshift camps where immigrants spend the time necessary to find the means to move to other areas of the country.

????NOW | #Truck Strike in Vina del Mar, #Valparaiso in protest of #IllegalImmigrationUnleashed who yesterday murdered a trucker in #Antofagasta.
The call is to #National Strikevarious regions are folding tonight. pic.twitter.com/tB4siEfQnw

– Vallenar Online (@VallenarOnline) February 12, 2022

The migration crisis has been going on for at least a couple of years. In Chile, according to official figures, there are almost 1.5 million migrants. The majority of those who arrived in 2021 are Venezuelan families, followed by Bolivians and, to a lesser extent, Colombians.

At this time, Los Libertadores roundabout, northern access to the city of Arica, continues with traffic suspended due to vehicle blockade.
Trucks enter this place from Peru and Bolivia, as well as vehicles from the airport.#Arica #Iquique #Antofagasta #Truckers #BlockRoute pic.twitter.com/5BLKYTXF9k

– North Border Arica (@FronteraNorte15) February 12, 2022

Minister Delgado said in September that some 25,000 people had entered Chile through irregular steps from the north so far this year.

According to the World Migration Report 2021 of the UN International Organization for Migrants, Chile is the second country with the highest percentage of immigrants in the region.

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Source: Elcomercio

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