From the desert outpost of Chacalluta, where a single bulldozer dug a trench on Monday, Kast assured the public that “for all of Chile, this is a milestone.” He added, “We have taken clear and concrete decisions to close our border to illegal immigration, drug trafficking and organized crime. We want to implement this without any delay.”
The “Border Shield” plan includes ditches, fences, drones, and military patrols along the 160-kilometer border with Peru. Kast invoked emergency powers to fast-track the project, a move critics call authoritarian but supporters say is necessary after years of rising crime.
Chile, long a regional haven of stability, has seen its foreign population double since 2017. Over 300,000 undocumented migrants—many from Venezuela—now live in Chile, fleeing economic collapse and political repression. While homicide rates remain low, carjackings, kidnappings, and contract killings have surged, fueling public anxiety.
“The government has a duty to protect its citizens,” said Kast, a former congressman known for his hardline stance. “We will not apologize for enforcing our laws.”
Kast’s inauguration marked a dramatic rightward shift. He is Chile’s first far-right president since Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship ended in 1990. In his youth, Kast campaigned for Pinochet, a fact that haunts his critics but endears him to supporters who see the Pinochet era as a time of order.
The border barrier draws immediate parallels to U.S. President Donald Trump’s promised wall. Kast and Trump are ideological allies, both framing immigration as an existential threat. “We are building a shield,” Kast said, “to defend our sovereignty.”
Opposition leaders call the plan a political stunt that scapegoats immigrants. “This is about fear, not security,” said one congressional critic. “Kast is manufacturing a crisis to consolidate power.”
The United Nations has urged Chile to ensure any border measures respect human rights. For now, the trench in the desert is the first physical sign of Kast’s promise—a promise that has reshaped Chile’s political landscape and set the stage for a contentious debate over national identity, security, and the rule of law.