Overview
- Migraciones’ Tacna chief Luis Ramos Ruidías announced a contingency measure allowing the Santa Rosa crossing to suspend biometric enrollment during heavy passenger flows or long queues, with checks reinstated once traffic eases.
- The decision followed an emergency session of Tacna’s security committee, as provincial mayor Pascual Güisa Bravo moves to petition the national government for a suspension through the end of the high season.
- Ramos said a broader halt has already been requested but is likely to be denied because biometric controls are a nationwide policy that cannot be lifted locally without a national change.
- The rollout since mid-January led to hours-long waits, heat-related incidents and service disruptions between Arica and Tacna, with sector representatives citing inadequate shade, water points and staffing.
- Traffic averaged 13,000–14,000 people per day in January with 470,867 total movements, and the crossing is key for tourism, having handled roughly 65% of Chilean visitors to Peru in 2025; the process requires fingerprints and a photo for each traveler, creating bottlenecks.