‘Big crisis’: Kast’s immigration agenda brings uncertainty to Chile’s north

Support for a fortified border

Kast has nevertheless proposed to implement the "toughest immigration policy in Chilean history" to combat crime.

His immigration agenda, known as the "Border Shield", promises to create a force 3,000 strong to "take absolute control of the northern border", starting on inauguration day.

It also outlines plans to fortify the region with walls, watch towers, autonomous drones and deeper trenches than those that already exist.

Carolina Victoria Henry, a 55-year-old Kast supporter, has lived in the port city of Arica, on the edge of the Atacama Desert, for more than 20 years.

She blames immigration for making her life in the city untenable. She told Al Jazeera that declining economic prospects have forced her to move south to the Chilean capital of Santiago.

“When the elections almost ended, after the first and then the second round, a lot of Venezuelans left,” Henry said. “They didn't do anything. They came to make a weight on the economy, and Chileans have to pay for that.”

Even some immigrants in the area expressed sympathy with the fears Kast represents.

Yolanda, a permanent resident from Venezuela, asked to remain anonymous to protect herself and her family from repercussions.

She blames the surge in criminal activity for changing the way locals see Venezuelan migrants and refugees.

"As well as a migration of professional people who have come to look for a new future and work, there is also this wave of crime that came to the region," Yolanda said.

"So that has hit the people who live here in Arica a little, because it's like we're stealing their peace."