Chile sees migrant crossings rise ahead of presidential vote

By MATÍAS DELACROIX and PATRICIA LUNA
Associated Press

COLCHANE, Chile (AP) — A merciless sun sears the migrants as they walk through one of the driest places in the world, trying to illegally cross the border from Bolivia into Chile fearing it might soon be closed. It has become common in recent months to see migrants trudging across the Atacama desert but the flow appears to have increased in recent days, ahead of Chile’s presidential runoff Sunday. The migrants fear that if far-right candidate José Antonio Kast wins he will close the border as he promised during his campaign. The conservative lawmaker, who has defended Chile’s military dictatorship, finished first in the country’s first round of voting in November.