Chileans Protest Against Venezuelan Migrants

02/03/2022

Demonstrators marched through the city of Iquique waving Chilean flags and demanding the expulsion of what they called foreign criminals. Some tore down tents that had housed migrants, while at least one person was beaten by the crowd. There has been an increase in people arriving in Chile after fleeing Venezuela's economic collapse. 

The protest, which attracted 4,000 people, was triggered by a video that showed two Chilean policemen being attacked at a checkpoint by suspected Venezuelan drug dealers. Chile, one of the wealthiest countries in South America, has been a destination of choice for many Venezuelans, despite pandemic restrictions in recent years. But there have been growing tensions over border control in the country, with migration and crime among voters' biggest concerns in last year's presidential elections. 

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