Solidariedade Imigrante fears policies to come from ‘the right’
The president of the Solidariedade Imigrante (Immigrant Solidarity) association – the largest of its kind in Portugal – has today rejected any changes to legislation that may come with the new ‘government of the right’, pledging the commitment of its members to oppose any initiative that diminishes the rights of those arriving in Portugal.
“Policies defined by the right and the far right in this country are worrying policies that concern us all, immigrants, and also Portuguese, who are in solidarity with people who are looking for better living conditions,” Timóteo Macedo told Lusa, promising to fight against any initiative to change the law.
“Don’t be so bold as to take away immigrants’ rights, like not giving residence certificates to people who don’t have a residence permit,” he said (as is already happening in various areas) because “people live here, work here and pay here”.
“We want to point out that we don’t accept it, nor do the immigrants accept it, nor does the associative movement accept going back to pre-2007,” before articles were introduced into the law that allow those who arrive in Portugal on a tourist visa to look for work and transfer their case to a regular immigration process.
The legal articles “allow people to apply for regularisation”, but the right-wing party advocates a quota system – which only allows work visas to be issued at the consulates of their countries of departure, according to the country’s needs.
“The State itself has recognised that the quota system doesn’t work, it didn’t work then, it doesn’t work now and it won’t work in the future,” Macedo warned.
In his opinion, Portugal’s “immigration law is one of the most advanced, although it needs to be improved in many aspects”.
“As long as the South (meaning southern hemisphere) is being plundered by the North (northern hemisphere), it is impossible to control migratory flows,” he added
Mobility can’t just be “for the wealthy”. It has to be for all “people who are trying to live, trying to survive, and we have to be vigilant.”
“Of course they (the right) will try” to reduce the rights of immigrants, “but we won’t let them” and “we will fight hard as we have done in the past.”
Today, for immigrants, there is an “excessive bureaucracy” that doesn’t show “good faith between the State and immigrants”, Macedo stressed.
When it was abolished at the end of October, SEF (foreigners and borders agency) left 350,000 pending cases, a “nameless shame” that the State now wants to resolve, using means other than the associative universe.
“It is not protocols signed with the Bar and solicitors’ associations that are going to resolve this situation,” he added, stressing that Solidariedade Imigrante rejects this type of agreement because, in his opinion, support for regularisation should fall to civil society organisations.
“This isn’t supposed to be a business. Lawyers receive appointments, and the associations don’t even have a clear communication channel” with AIMA (the agency that has ‘replaced’ SEF).
“The documentary situation of immigrants is not a police or judicial matter. It is a question of procedures,” he said, pointing out that many AIMA counters across the country “are empty” because no appointments are being made there.
This is just one of the many ‘anti’ reports coming ahead of the swearing into office of a new ‘centre right’ government. It almost falls in the bracket of ‘making a fuss before any policies have been outlined’, albeit there have been mentions of issues the country is starting to have with incoming foreigners unable to find work/ suitable accommodation. AD leader Luís Montenegro has suggested ‘regulation is needed’ before situations get any worse.
Source material: LUSA
