Rodrigo Antunes/Lusa
Presidency Minister António Leitão Amaro.
Minister Leitão Amaro said that Portugal started to have the door “wide open” because of the successive governments led by António Costa.
Now, “ facilitismo na immigration in Portugal ”.
The Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, The previous socialist government was responsible for a “uncontrolled” policy in the regime of entry of foreigners, which allowed the quadruplication of the number of immigrants in seven years.
The disclosed indicate an estimated number of 1.6 million foreigners In Portugal at the end of 2024 and in seven years, the percentage of immigrants went from four to “15 percent of all the population,” said the minister, noting that these data are consistent with other statistical data from public services.
“It was a very fast change” and “greater demographic change we watch in our lives”, Said Leitão Amaro, accusing the PS Government of one “irresponsibility that generated a great inhumanity” With those populations, because public services failed to keep up with the increase in demand.
“It is important for the country to know and discuss this demographic transformation,“ because the socialist party changed the law of immigration ”and “Lasted the door” from Portugalsaid Leitão Amaro.
Today, the social security It receives many more funds than it pays on social installments, but this impact on the “long term is uncertain” for Portuguese accounts, the ruler pointed out.
On the other hand, “people with different cultures, languages and religions” emerged in Portugal that increased the diversity of social fabric, but this “very rapid growth of immigration can be a source of uneasiness in communities”.
Therefore, this executive made as commitment “End uncontrolled immigration”opting for “regulated immigration with humanism.”
“We do not follow the radicals with the gates wide open”not even the “populists who want their doors closed,” he said, noting that today the “priority of migration is for those who come with a employment contract, who comes to work and with conditions”.
On Monday, hundreds of immigrants, most of the Indian subcontinent were concentrated with the agency’s headquarters for integration, migrations and asylum (AIMA) to challenge the lack of response to pending orders.
Leitão Amaro acknowledges that many immigrants “were not well treated by the Portuguese state” because the socialist government “destroyed the immigration service” and “were close to one million people waiting for a response”, between Aima and IRN.
Measures, but not for now
At this press conference, the minister announced six new measures – presented as “contributions”.
However, as this recalls, this Management government cannot apply these measures. It may be a government that wants to show Portugal and Europe that it is “firm and moderate” at the same time (said Leitão Amaro) but a management government has limited powers.
There is only one measure that is applied now, and that was already being treated: the two temporary detention centers will advance.
The rest will go to the next government, if you want to apply them: new border police, faster regime to remove illegal immigrants, change entry channels to CPLP citizens, more control over the issuance of residence certificates by the parish councils, and to change the law of nationality.
