Overview
- Crews and soldiers began trench and barrier works at Chacalluta on the Peru frontier and in Colchane on the Bolivia border, following Kast’s on-site inspection.
- Designs outlined by officials include trenches about 3 meters deep, walls up to 5 meters high, watchtowers, autonomous drones, thermal cameras, sensors and biometric systems.
- Kast declared vulnerable northern sectors a military zone, issued security-focused decrees and appointed Alberto Soto to coordinate an expanded interagency border effort.
- Officials justify the works as a response to irregular crossings, transnational gangs and smuggling, citing estimates of roughly 120,000 stolen or undocumented vehicles entering Bolivia each year from northern Chile.
- Human-rights groups caution that the crackdown risks violating due process for migrants, and analysts note Kast lacks congressional majorities even as early polling shows strong public backing for the plan.