MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

No human corridor through Peru for Venezuelans exiting Chile

Peru’s internal security takes precedence over regional transit, Jerí insisted

Peru's President José Jerí told Chile's President-elect José Antonio Kast that the human corridor through his country so that Venezuelan migrants could return home was not a feasible option.

It happens that Peru too wants them out of their territory, it was explained. Hence, any plan for a “humanitarian corridor” through Peru is now off the table, Jerí insisted. This decision complicates Kast’s campaign promise to facilitate the mass exit of irregular Venezuelan migrants.

“I cannot allow migrants to enter our country irregularly,” President Jerí stated. “The problem in our country, which is triggered by the issue of insecurity, is precisely irregular migration because it also brings practices that have contaminated our country; that is also a reality.”

He also underscored that Peru was facing its own crisis and working on its own expulsion measures rather than facilitating the transit of thousands more from the south. “We also want them to leave Peru,” Jerí admitted.

The corridor stricken, “we have to see through the Foreign Ministry what method we can use, collectively, to facilitate the return of irregular migrants to their country,” the Peruvian leader also pointed out.

Kast had framed the corridor as a “dignified” solution to the migration crisis affecting the Southern Cone. Upon returning to Chile, Kast had initially struck an optimistic tone. “We are in dialogue to respect people's dignity,” Kast previously told reporters regarding his trip to Lima.

However, Jerí’s latest comments suggest those dialogues have reached a dead end.

Additionally, Peruvian authorities confirmed Monday that 34 Peruvian nationals who had been stranded in Bolivia due to the ongoing road blockades had managed to return home. “The Foreign Ministry implemented a contingency plan to repatriate 34 nationals who were stranded in Bolivia due to roadblocks,” a communiqué underlined.

The group was eventually ferried by land, alongside diplomatic staff. The Peruvian Embassy admitted that others were still in Bolivia waiting for a solution.