Dina Boluarte declares a state of emergency on Peru's borders

The Peruvian president asserted that immigrants are a principal reason for the high incidence of crime in the country.

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27 de abril, 2023

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Dina Boluarte declared a state of emergency on Peru's borders. The president assured on Wednesday that the decision was taken because she considered that immigrants are to blame for the criminality in the country. They are the ones who "unfortunately are committing" criminal acts, he said during a press conference:

You yourselves are the ones who transmit every day [...] that those who commit daily assaults, robberies and other criminal acts are foreigners, that is why we have to reformulate the law on foreigners, to see this issue of migration [...] 800,000 Venezuelans have entered, as many Haitians, and they are the ones who are unfortunately committing these acts.

The state of emergency, announced after the Council of Ministers, will be declared on Peru's borders with Ecuador, Brazil and Chile. Specifically, the departments affected will be Tumbes, Piura, Cajamarca, Amazonas, Loreto, Madre de Dios and Tacna.

Constitutional reform in Peru

In these areas, Boluarte announced, the Armed Forces will collaborate with the National Police to "maintain internal order". To this end, the President proposed a constitutional reform, specifically, to amend Article 165 of the Constitution. Once rectified, the law would allow the Armed Forces to provide "support on a permanent basis in the surveillance and control of our borders":

This measure will allow the execution of police operations related to the control of our borders with the purpose of preserving internal order and the constitutional rights of the population.

On the other hand, Boluarte announced that the migrants who are in the country could be exempted from financial penaltiesat least for half a yearThe amnesty is only for a period of six months, we will not be tolerant and we will not extend this period any further. Moreover, it only applies to foreigners who entered in a regular manner and who, for different reasons, have become irregular".

The state of emergency, recalls Europa Press, comes after hundreds of people attempted to cross the southern border between Peru and Chile in recent days. Most of them were Venezuelans trying to return to their country on foot.