Former BE parliamentary leader Fabian Figueiredo stated today that the Constitutional Court’s rejection of the immigration law “symbolizes a victory of justice and humanity over cruelty,” urging the bill to be “buried.”
Speaking to journalists in parliament about the TC’s decision on the immigration law, Fabian Figueiredo argued that the government aimed to introduce a “law characteristic of regimes that are not democratic,” emphasizing that “in democracy, the right to family is respected” and “children are not separated from their parents.”
“This decision by the Constitutional Court represents a victory of justice and humanity against cruelty and is therefore good news,” he added.
The former deputy advocated that “a person who legally entered Portugal” must “be able to bring their spouse and children to build their lives” in the country, accusing “the right and the government” of wanting “to commit complete cruelty that will not solve any problem.”
Fabian Figueiredo further noted that “there was no memory of such a swift legislative process,” criticizing the lack of hearings and opinions and stressing that the “law did not solve any problem and only caused more suffering.”
The bloc member argued that the executive chose “the worst path” based on “the ease of ‘clickbait’, social media hatreds” instead of opting for “serious, sober policies that respect the dignity of all people.”
Fabian Figueiredo also mentioned that “PSD and CDS-PP should reflect” and “understand that Portugal grows when it sets high standards.” Portugal “is a country that was built over centuries with large emigrant communities,” he reminded.
“Imagine telling Portuguese immigrant communities in France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium that they could not bring their children to be with them, (…) that they cannot see their children grow up,” he stated.
The President of the Republic today vetoed the parliamentary decree that approves the legal regime of entry, stay, exit, and expulsion of foreigners from the national territory after the Constitutional Court announced the unconstitutionality of five provisions.
This decision by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was known minutes after the judges at Palácio Ratton announced the rejection of five provisions of the parliamentary decree approving the legal regime of entry, stay, exit, and expulsion of foreigners from national territory.
The TC’s decision follows a request from the President of the Republic for preventive scrutiny of the constitutionality of seven provisions of this decree on July 24.
The decree was approved on July 16 in the Assembly of the Republic, with votes in favor from PSD, Chega, and CDS-PP, abstention from IL, and votes against from PS, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN, and JPP.
The bill was criticized by almost all parties, except for PSD, Chega, and CDS-PP, with several considering it unconstitutional and criticizing the legislative process’s manner, which proceeded without hearing immigrant associations or constitutional experts and without mandatory opinions.
