Hundreds of migrants in Chile wait to return home

Hundreds of Peruvian, Colombian and Bolivian citizens have been camping outdoors in front of different embassies in the Chilean capital Santiago, urging the governments of their countries to assist them in returning home.

As Chile continues to sustain economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic, many people, including foreign nationals living and working in Chile, say they don't have a way to take care of themselves and their families.

"We are asking for help in the consulate from Bolivia to go to our country because here we have no one, said Carmelo, a Bolivian migrant who had spent about 10 days camped outside the Bolivian embassy.

Some of the poorest people in Latin America, especially those in the informal labor market, work every day to feed their families, live in unsanitary conditions and lack proper medical care.

Some countries are making payments to informal workers — maids, street sellers and others who have been told to stay home to reduce the spread of the virus, but the effort is patchwork and doesn't apply to everyone who needs help.

Peruvian migrant Richard said he just wants to return to Peru.

"The borders were closed and there is no way to leave, and there is a great need for our people, as you can see, we are more than 250," Richard said on a recent day as he waited outside the Peruvian embassy in Santiago.

People are hoping the governments will arrange some type of transportation or a way to be repatriated to their native countries.

In the meantime, these migrants, including those with small children, are forced to wait in tents.