Paulo Raimundo, speaking to journalists before a rally at Praça da Corujeira in Porto, expressed that despite recent changes to the immigration law, there remains “an open door” for those with “a lot of money.”
“I would say, even using the words of another figure [André Ventura], the situation remains chaotic because, for those with a lot of money, the door is still open,” he asserted.
Raimundo commented that the newly approved immigration law in the Assembly of the Republic shows no “changes” or new “issues” for those who arrive in cities like Porto and manage to “buy entire buildings for real estate speculation.”
“They can still come here, and this is the situation we face: the chaos persists,” he reiterated, expressing that with the newly approved legislation, “there is one law for some and a different one for others.”
“Those with money can freely come, buy all the houses, all the buildings, and engage in any speculation they want. Those who come seeking a better life, like our own who go abroad seeking a better life, have their rights restricted,” he criticized.
When asked if he plans to request the President to refer the newly approved law in the Assembly to the Constitutional Court, as was done with the previous version of the law, Paulo Raimundo responded: “I will not request anything.”
“The President has the information he needs and previously decided, based on the data he had, to refer it to the Constitutional Court. The President will evaluate. However, as I said, those who come to exacerbate housing speculation remain the same,” he remarked.
The Assembly of the Republic approved the new version of the immigration law today with favorable votes from PSD, CDS-PP, Chega, IL, and JPP, and opposing votes from PS, Livre, PCP, BE, and PAN.
The new decree, which establishes the legal framework for the entry, stay, exit, and removal of foreigners from national territory and was previously rejected by the Constitutional Court last August, was approved in a final global vote after all amendments proposed by the parties were voted on.
During the specialized voting, all amendments proposed by the coalition supporting the Government (PSD and CDS-PP) were approved, except those that were withdrawn, alongside one proposal from PS and three from Chega.
