Chilean President José Antonio Kast has launched his most controversial campaign promise: a three-meter-deep, eleven-kilometer-long trench on the border with Peru. With 58% of the vote in December 2025, the ultraconservative seeks to curb illegal immigration and cross-border crime. The project, carried out by the army, replicates Donald Trump's approach.
Defense engineering: the moat as a technological barrier 🛠️
From a technical standpoint, the trench is not a simple hole. The design includes slopes reinforced with geotextile to prevent collapses, a drainage system to manage seasonal rains, and buried motion sensors. The estimated cost is around $4 million, with heavy machinery operating 24 hours a day. However, security experts point out that such an obstacle requires constant maintenance and does not stop organized groups with basic tools.
The trench that will make history (and memes) 😂
Chileans have already nicknamed the project Kast's moat or the trench of hope. Theories circulate on social media: that it will be used to raise crocodiles, that it will be filled with water and piranhas, or that it will become Arica's new tourist attraction. The truth is, while engineers calculate slopes, migrants are already seeking alternative routes through the mountains. The trench does not stop the flow, but it does ensure memes for a while.