Tiago Petinga / Lusa
The president of the largest association of immigrants in the country stated that Portugal is a “open prison” for thousands of immigrants who have no processes resolved and live under the blackmail of expulsion.
Taking stock of one year of the action of migrations, announced on June 3, 2024, Timóteo MacedoPresident of Immigrant Solidarity, makes a “Very negative balance” of migratory policies.
The leader considers that he entered “in a state of panic and despairby thousands of immigrants who have notifications of abandonment on the head. ”
In addition, “renewals [de documentos] do not work and people are in a open prison, as Portugal is”Because they cannot go to their home countries or resolve issues related to family regrouping, an essential condition for the success of integration.
Today, “Portugal has extremely severe policies to immigrants ”and“ not already concerned with improving public services to serve ”foreigners in order to disagree with those looking for the country.
Plan changed scenario
In the past, “Portugal was seen as a country that reasonably welcomed the people and who had the most advanced policies in Europe And that should be a source of pride for everyone, ”recalled the association’s leader.
Announced in June 2024, it included a range of 41 measures aimed at conditioning the arrival of new foreigners.
The main measure was – a mechanism that allowed the regularization of foreigners even with tourist visa, provided it was 12 months of discounts.
This feature, the main reason for existing issues, had a call effect and brought thousands of immigrants to the country.
Today, the end of this mechanism and the lack of missions to hire in home countries has led most people looking for Portugal from the Lusophone space, a priority announced by the government.
Current scenario feeds mafias
A year later, Timóteo Macedo considers that the current scenario It leads to the food of the mafias and many people without scruples ”, who“ take advantage of the legal voids ” or the hiring rules, such as Via Verde for immigration, which “are not working” and only serve “to charge those who want to come more.”
In the diplomatic network, “around embassies, people use and abuse the fragility of these people who deserve to look for a better life,” exemplified Timóteo Macedo.
“People will never stop fighting for their lives and so they will come in otherwise and people continue to enter,” but absence of regularization mechanisms “feeds exploitation and modern slavery” by companies.
In early May a millionaire illegal immigration network was dismantled, which had one.
The woman, who was service to the public in Lisbon, was identified as a Key piece of the criminal groupnow dismantled in the so -called “Operation Gamperia”.
