Settlements in Chile have grown 33.1% in the past two years and are inhabited by more than 113,000 families, a third of whom are immigrants, according to a study by an organization that works with immigrants. people living in precarious homes

Chile has a deficit of more than 650,000 homes and President Gabriel Boric has set himself the goal of building 260,000 by the end of his term in 2026. Adding to the lack of homes are some 2,450 which were destroyed by forest fires in February.

The cadastre of the Techo-Chile study clarified on Tuesday that in the South American country there are 1,290 camps where 34.7% of precarious housing is inhabited by immigrant families. According to the report, 74.8% of families came to live in the settlement due to the high cost of rent.

The director of the Techo-Chile Center for Studies, Pía Palacios, said the increase in camps “is one more form of housing exclusion” in Chile.

In four regions of the far north of Chile, characterized by a very unfavorable climate due to the Atacama Desert, the driest in the world, there are just over 30,000 families.

Most immigrants enter Chile through irregular crossing points on the border with Peru and Bolivia, where the government deployed a military contingent in late February to curb immigration.

Contrary to the police support work they carried out before February, the military are now authorized to carry out identity and baggage checks and to detain and hand over to the police, within a maximum period of 24 hours, strangers who suspect they are committing crimes.

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