Support for a fortified border
Kast has nevertheless proposed to implement the “toughest immigration policy in Chilean history” to combat crime.
His immigration agenda, known as the “Border Shield”, promises to create a force 3,000 strong to “take absolute control of the northern border”, starting on inauguration day.
It also outlines plans to fortify the region with walls, watch towers, autonomous drones and deeper trenches than those that already exist.
Carolina Victoria Henry, a 55-year-old Kast supporter, has lived in the port city of Arica, on the edge of the Atacama Desert, for more than 20 years.
She blames immigration for making her life in the city untenable. She told Al Jazeera that declining economic prospects have forced her to move south to the Chilean capital of Santiago.
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