The socialist MEP, who in the last PS government had the migration portfolio in the ministry, criticized Pedro Nuno Santos’ interview with the weekly Expresso.
Speaking to Lusa, the PS MEP, who in the last PS Government had the migration portfolio in her ministry, criticized the socialist leader’s interview with Expresso, in which she admitted that everything has not been done well in recent years regarding immigration and announced that he will present a legislative solution that allows immigrants who are working but refusing to recover their expression of interest to be regularized.
“I see with enormous astonishment this change in the PS’s position both in terms of expression of interest and in terms of the discourse on culture and accepting cultures”, he criticized.
According to the former minister, the end of the expression of interest is a “huge mistake”.
“I think it’s a mistake because it goes against everything that has been our vision, the PS’s, for 30 years about what a policy of integration of immigrants should be for those who arrive in Portugal looking for a new opportunity”, he considered.
“Huge concern about changing discourse”
Ana Catarina Mendes, who in the last European elections occupied third place on the PS list, also said that she sees “with great concern this approach to the agenda that the right and the extreme right have on immigration”.
Waiting to see what instrument Pedro Nuno Santos will propose, the PS MEP warned that the more “safe, legal and regular immigration channels” are closed, the more people are “leaving people to the fate of the networks that are take advantage of the vulnerability of foreign citizens”.
“I see with enormous, enormous, enormous concern the change in discourse regarding what the reception and integration of foreign citizens in Portugal should be”, he criticized.
For Ana Catarina Mendes, culture involves absorbing and welcoming one another, respecting “each other’s cultures”.
“The law is for everyone and article 15 of the Constitution is very clear when it says that foreign citizens have the same rights and the same duties. What must happen is a transgressor must be punished by the law because that is how a state of right,” he said.
Pedro Nuno refuses any contradiction
The leader of the PS, Pedro Nuno Santos, this Friday refused any contradiction in his positions on immigration and stated that he did not meet those of the Government.
“I respect the criticism. I wanted to make it clear that there is no contradiction. Anyone who has spoken to me about immigration in recent months knows that I am very critical of the expression of interest instrument”, he defended.
However, the current Government’s elimination of the expression of interest instrument “without its replacement by other mechanisms in the law has created a legal vacuum that is much worse than the situation that existed before”, pushing many foreign workers into illegality.
Regarding the fact that the Minister of the Presidency welcomed “the change of opinion” of the PS General Secretary on the government’s immigration policy, saying that Pedro Nuno Santos “gives the Prime Minister the right” now, the PS leader refused this idea.
“I did not meet the government on this issue, there is a great deal of confusion about it. There is no somersault, there is no contradiction, because the legal instrument that existed was not the most appropriate, the legal void that the Government left is still worse because it pushes many foreign workers into illegality”, he replied.
