Iquique City Issues Protection Measures for Venezuelan Migrants

The Iquique authorities will implement measures to protect Venezuelan migrants who were attacked by racist and xenophobic groups in this Chilean municipality during the weekend.

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On Saturday, racist demonstrators burned their tents and belongings. The act was repudiated by various organizations around the world, including United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants Felipe Gonzalez, who described the event as an "inadmissible humiliation".

"We could identify at least 16 people affected - three men, a one-year-old minor, and 13 women - who will be offered economic and psychological support. We will also help them recover the identity documents they lost when their belongings were burned," said Iquique Public Prosecutor Jocelyn Pacheco.

The police are currently analyzing the videos shared on social networks and security cameras to identify the perpetrators of these crimes. The Tarapaca Region Governor Jose Carvajal announced that a bus would be available to transport migrants to other areas of the country starting on Monday.

"It is not a matter of providing a bus and taking them out of the region. On the contrary, it is to support and collaborate in what they are looking for, which is to get to another place in our country," he said.

Carvajal pointed out that this decision is also based on the request issued by various entities such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH).

On Tuesday, local lawyer Matias Ramirez will also file a complaint for the injuries received by people who confronted the demonstrators or who were just walking through the area and were injured. Moreover, Tarapaca Prosecutor's Office announced that it would initiate an investigation concerning the burning of migrants' belongings.