Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities paints ‘win-win’ scenario for Portugal
So far, Portugal cannot complain about the new administration in America: it has more Americans and Canadians choosing to come and live here than ever before, and so far at least, there have been no Portuguese nationals deported.
Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities José Cesário gave the good news at the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities, where he was being heard at the request of the PS to provide clarifications on the situation of the Portuguese community residing in the United States, in light of Donald Trump’s many intentions.
Socialist MP Paulo Pisco began by stating that his party does approve of the government’s ‘strategy in managing the situation’, which, he suggested, is to “play dead”.
Pisco claimed Portuguese people in the States feel abandoned – and that consulates should be providing legal advice.
Cesário admitted that there are no exact figures on the Portuguese at risk of deportation from the United States, recalling that there are 360 who have already exceeded the 90 days of temporary stay granted under the ‘visa waiver’ (a programme that allows business or tourism trips without the need for a prior visa for a period of 90 days) and around 4,000 who the Senate have identified as overstaying their time allowed.
There are currently 24 Portuguese people detained in the United States – with the United Kingdom, Switzerland and France being the countries with the most Portuguese people detained, added José Cesário, stressing that the United Kingdom and France are currently the countries deporting the highest numbers of Portuguese.
Cesário also said that he has been in constant contact with community leaders in America – and that the government’s strategy is to “help, but not with alarmism”.
In this sense, the embassy and consular posts have instructions to help any Portuguese people who ask for help, which he said has not yet happened.
Cesário also revealed that the hiring of the services of a law firm to provide legal assistance to Portuguese people who need it is at an advanced stage.
“How to get the message across is my first concern,” he admitted, calling for proactivity from services and even MPs, whenever they become aware of situations that require support.
As Lusa explains, Cesário “admitted that serious problems could arise, but that, for now, they do not result in deportations, with none having been recorded since Trump’s announcement” that the new administration would be rounding up illegals in an operation never before seen in the history of America/ the world.
Currently, said the secretary of state, only one Portuguese citizen who is being held in the US, will be deported, but this is “an old situation”, involving a citizen who had already been deported in the past and who insisted on returning to the country.
Cesário said he did not understand why opposition parties have not expressed similar concerns about deportations in the past, “when the numbers were much higher”.
In 2016, for example, 51 Portuguese were deported from the United States to Portugal, 61 in 2017, 91 in 2018 and 81 in 2019. In 2023, 19 Portuguese were deported and the same number in 2024.
According to estimates from the Department of Homeland Security in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, there are about 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Source material: LUSA
