Chilean Governor Left Venezuelan Migrants Unprotected

On Thursday, Chilean human rights defenders condemned that Tarapaca Region Governor Jose Carvajal blamed Venezuelan migrants for disrupting public order in Iquique City. 

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“Carvajal considered that the Chilean families living in this region were victims of the misbehavior of migrants who live in public places... These statements are embarrassing," said Nanette Liberona, a migration specialist at Tarapaca University.

She also argued that Carvajal did not do much to prevent the Oct. 25 anti-immigrant demonstration despite knowing about it. "He did not even consider moving these people to a safe place, which resulted in xenophobic groups lynching many migrants and burning their belongings," Liberona condemned.

leberona also criticized President Sebastian Piñera's announcements to assist migrants arriving in Colchane, Huara, and Iquique cities since this policy facilitates immediate expulsions.

"Migration is not a problem but a multi-causal phenomenon that is characteristic of a globalized world. Instead of allocating resources to prevent it, the State should work to guarantee migrants' fundamental rights," the Legal Clinic for Migrants and Refugees at Diego Portales University insisted.