The Chilean prosecutor’s office ordered an investigation into the burning of Venezuelan tents and mattresses during the violent protest against immigrants in Iquique

The Chilean prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the violent attack on undocumented Venezuelan migrants, whose property was burned on Saturday in the northern city of Iquique by protesters protesting against growing migration in the region.

The demonstration brought together a few 3,000 people carrying Chilean flags and posters with anti-immigration slogans. Amid xenophobic cries, the most radical set fire to the property of migrants who camped in the streets of this town in the Tarapacá region, about 1,800 km north of Santiago.

Prosecutor Jócelyn Pacheco of Iquique instructed the investigative police (PDI) to “investigate the events in Iquique which resulted in the burning of the property of migrant families,” a message said on Sunday. the official Twitter account of the prosecutor’s office. .from Tarapacá.

Pacheco also “ordered protective measures for the victims (migrants)”, who after the attack had to flee, hide and spend the night in the streets and beaches of Iquique, an AFP journalist confirmed. .

The protest was recorded a day after the eviction from a plaza full of migrant families with children.

Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Delgado disagreed with the violent protest. However, “we will continue the deportations in all public spaces that are necessary” and also the “deportation plan” of undocumented migrants led by the Chilean government, he said.

Violence against migrants in Iquique has been condemned by organizations such as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Felipe González, who described the incident. as an “unacceptable humiliation against particularly vulnerable migrants”.

For its part, Unicef ​​expressed “its concern about the situation of immigrant children and adolescents in Iquique and asks the state to guarantee and protect their rights, thus complying with international treaties signed by the country”.

The events take place amid the growing influx of thousands of undocumented migrants crossing the border between Bolivia and Chile on foot through unauthorized crossings through the inhospitable Altiplano, putting their lives at risk. Some 11 migrants have died in the region so far this year.

Most migrants try to get to Santiago. But the poorest cannot afford a trip to the Chilean capital and have had to stay in Iquique or other towns in the north of the country, camping in the streets in precarious conditions.

The drama of the Venezuelan diaspora

According to the latest report from the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants of Venezuela, jointly led by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), There are already more than six million Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the world.

According to the platform’s most recent report, a total of 6,024,351 Venezuelan citizens have settled in more than 33 countries. The figure represents almost 20% of the national population.

Of the total displaced 4,978,078 are in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 465,200 in the United States.

Colombia with 2,000,000, Peru with 1,000,000 and Chile with 457,300, they are at the top of the list of host countries for Venezuelans in Central and South America.

While, Ecuador with 451,100, Brazil 261,400 and Argentina 173,200 follow in order. The countries with the lowest incomes of Venezuelans are Uruguay with 15,247, Bolivia with 10,611 and Paraguay with 5,445.

Historical figures show that Colombia remained the country with the highest rate of Venezuelans refugees in recent years.

The data also shows that, Argentina went from one of the top three nations chosen by Venezuelans to migrate until 2018, to sixth place in 2021.

But the exodus of Venezuelans did not only take place to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, currently the presence of the citizens of this country has been registered on all continents.

In Europe, Spain currently hosts the largest number of Venezuelans: more than 415,000 people. There are also recordings of 59,400 in Italy, 27,200 in Portugal, 10,100 in Germany, 7,200 in France and around 30,700 in the other countries of the region.

The report indicates that there is 391 Venezuelans in Africa, 503 in Asia and 7,600 in Oceania.

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