Chile-Perú: Border Migration Flow Miguel Yaksic Introduction This chapter explores the various aspects that characterize and define the border that Chile and Perú share. This territory has become increasingly complex in migratory terms, especially since Chile has become one of the most important migratory destinations in South America. While this chap- ter will focus on the Chile-Perú border, there will inevitably be references to the border that both countries share with Bolivia, mainly because specific migratory routes head south through Bolivia. This article begins with a description and characterization of the ter- ritory and the cross-border relationships between the inhabitants of Tacna (Perú) and Arica (Chile), two cities increasingly connected through labour and commercial networks. In addition, this territory will be addressed as cru- cial regarding the migratory and refugee movements of thousands of people. After the socio-demographic characterization of the border, the cen- tral part of the text will focus on Peruvian and Chilean State compliance of international human rights obligations. This analysis will further inves- tigate the vulnerabilities to which migrants are exposed to in a continually changing context. Accordingly, the emphasis will be both on Venezuelan migration and human smuggling. The circumstances at the Chile-Perú border are changing rapidly, and local realities are altering and transforming migratory flows. There is, conse- quently, a significant shortage of studies, publications, or updated and reliable statistics that would allow us to understand the magnitude and character- istics of this new reality. Therefore, this chapter has been constructed based on exploratory and descriptive research of an ethnographic nature based on participant observation and qualitative research techniques. Since the bibli- ography is scarce and the context is subject to continuous transformations, bibliographic sources, statistics, and data are limited or outdated. That is, they serve little to understand where the most severe violations of migrant human rights, in situations of vulnerability, are taking place. 97 Miguel Yaksic For the preparation of this chapter, 28 Venezuelan migrants who were in Tacna during the first week of January 2019 were interviewed. They were all waiting for the opportunity to continue their trip to Chile. In addi- tion, civil society organization workers from organizations such as the Jesuit Migrant Service (Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes [SJM] in Spanish) (Santiago and Arica), Encuentros (Lima and Tacna) and Casa del Migrante (Tacna) were also interviewed. Interviews were held as well with representatives of the Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos (National Institute of Human Rights) in Chile and with prosecutors from the Fiscalía Nacional (National Prosecutor’s Office). Finally, different international organization workers from both sides of the border were also interviewed. Likewise, observations were made at the International Terminal of Tacna, the streets of Tacna, at the Chilean border control in Chacalluta, in the waiting room of the offices of specific non-profit organizations, and Casa del Migrante in Tacna. Specialized bibliography was consulted, and updated information was requested from the relevant platforms for access to public information of the Transparency Portal of the State of Chile. The Bolivian, Peruvian, and Chilean press was also reviewed. Characterization of the Chile-Perú border If we incorporate Bolivia, the Chile-Perú border is a triple border with Bolivia sharing a border with both countries (see Figure 1). The Línea de la Concordia, established by the 1929 Treaty of Lima established that the Province of Arica belonged to Chile and that Tacna belonged to Perú, and divides Perú and Chile. This treaty came into effect some decades after the Pacific War, which took place between 1879 and 1883, and pitted Chile against Peruvian and Bolivian allies. Up until then, the Province of Arica belonged to Perú and Antofagasta belonged to Bolivia. After the war, both territories became part of the State of Chile. This war has influenced the relationship between these countries to this day. It is still a territory characterized by historical territorial conflicts. As recent as 27 January 2014, the International Court of Justice ruled on the so-called triángulo terrestre (land triangle), a territory whose sovereignty had remained polemic between Perú and Chile for many years. The Court’s ruling defined the bi-national maritime boundary and its starting point. In parallel, the plurinational State of Bolivia filed a case against Chile with 98 80 Martinique (FRANCE) 60 40 HONDURAS Caribbean Sea ST. LUCIA Tegucigalpa Netherlands ST. VINCENT AND BARBADOS Martinique (FRANCE) 80 Isla de Aruba Antilles THE GRENADINES 60 San Andrés (NETH.) (NETH.) NICARAGUA (COLOMBIA) GRENADA Managua Port-of-Spain ST. LUCIA CaribbeanBarranquilla Sea Maracaibo Caracas Cartagena TRINIDAD AND Valencia NetherlandsTOBAGO N o r t h BARBADOS San José Barquisimeto ST. VINCENT AND N Panama o Arubarinoc Antilles Cúcuta ío O Ciudad COSTA RICA a S R THE GRENADINESA t l a n t i c San Andrés n San Cristóbal (NETH.)Guayana (NETH.)Georgetown e PANAMA l a d E VENEZUELA Paramaribo Medellín g GRENADA (COLOMBIA) a G GUYANA M U O c e a n D I A Cayenne N A Bogotá H Isla de Malpelo N I G SURINAME French o H (COLOMBIA) í Port-of-Spain L A Guiana R Boa Vista N Caracas Barranquilla A COLOMBIA D (FRANCE) Cali Maracaibo S Cartagena TRINIDAD AND ValenciaMacapá TOBAGO R Quito io Equator BarquisimetoN eg zon 0 A M A Z O N ro ma 0 ECUADOR n A Belém azo Manaus Panama Guayaquil m o São Luís A Santarém in oc Iquitos O r Cúcuta u íog Ciudad a n Fortaleza a r R i S ei ad X Teresina M n San Cristóbal Guayana o s R i n PANAMA Piura í e R i o t l n Natal M B A S I N o a i c a a R r o a E VENEZUELA T ñ ó d Medellín n g Rio Pôrto Trujillo Huánuco io Recife a Branco Velho R GUYANA G PERUM D B R A Z I L U I Maceió U R A i c í R a o n N Lima y í a e o l B A A i MATO GROSSO B R A Z I L I A N o o BogotáCusco í M c s H N R PLATEAU i S o u t h a c Lago m i I N Trinidad a n Salvador D o a G Titicaca r u r e g Cuiabá F H o E a í r a Brasília ão L S P P a c i f i c Arequipa La Paz S o A R Goiânia i BoaR Vista o BOLIVIA i COLOMBIA A R A L H I G H L A N D S T Cochabamba Santa Cruz I O c e a n P Cali Arica L Sucre A N A Potosí Belo O Uberlândia T Horizonte Iquique A Campo á C n Grande ra A Vitória a P 20 M 20 ío A PARAGUAY R Rio de Janeiro D orn Antofagasta E São Paulo f Capric Salta Tropic o S Asunción Santos E Curitiba R Quito R San Miguel i T o de Tucumán Isla San Ambrosio Resistencia Florianópolis N Isla San Félix (CHILE) e á g n (CHILE) a r r A M A Z O N a o CHILE P ECUADOR Pôrto Alegre Cerro Aconcagua o n o z (highest point in Córdoba Santa Fe í R a Manaus Guayaquil South America, 6962 m) S Saltom Mendoza A Valparaíso Rosario A P URUGUAY ARCHIPIÉLAGO S o u t h JUAN FERNÁNDEZ Santiago M Buenos Aires (CHILE) Iquitos A A La Plata Montevideo N P A t l a n t i c Concepción D ARGENTINA ra ei E O c e a n Bahía Blanca Mar del Plata ad S M San Carlos de Bariloche o Piura R Puerto Montt i ío A R I 40 B A S I N 40 M N a O r Comodoro Rivadavia a G ñ ó A n Laguna del Carbón T Trujillo (lowest point in South America and Pôrto Huánuco A the Western Hemisphere, Rio-105 m) Scale 1:35,000,000 P Velho Río Strait of Azimuthal Equal-Area Projection Gallegos Magellan BrancoStanley 500 Kilometers Falkland Islands 0 (Islas Malvinas) 0 500 Miles Punta Arenas (administered by U.K., South Georgia and the Ushuaia claimed by ARGENTINA) South Sandwich Islands Boundary representation is (administered by U.K., not necessarily authoritative. U R Cape claimed by ARGENTINA) 100 Horn i 8060c í R 40 20 Lima a o n í y e a o B li MATO Cusco o í GROSSO M R PLATEAU A a m Trinidad Lago o N r PERU Titicaca e B R A Z I L D La Paz E Arequipa S o u t h S BOLIVIA A Cochabamba P a c i f i c L T Santa Cruz I O c e a n P Arica L Sucre A N Potosí Figure 1. South America Map Source: Wikimedia Commons. 99 Miguel Yaksic that same Court to demand sea access and redefine the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1904 that established the borderline between the two coun- tries. The end of the Pacific War implied a sort of ‘Chileanization’ process over the former Peruvian and Bolivian territories. Geographically, the south of Perú and the north of Chile are desert territories. To the west lies the Pacific Ocean and to the east the Andes mountain range and the altiplano (highlands). The altiplano that Bolivia, Perú, and Chile share today has been an area inhabited since ancient times by the Aimara indigenous communities, peasant farmers and merchants who have adapted their lives to that territory despite its height.