Commenting on the dismantlement of an immigrant exploitation network involving GNR and PSP officers, Eugénia Quaresma emphasized the growing “trust deficit” among immigrants towards the state and society, criticizing the recurring attacks on the most vulnerable in this chain.
“The positive aspect of this news is that these networks continue to be investigated,” but the “dark side is that this makes trafficking so difficult to catch,” because “it nullifies the trust networks” that should exist between the state and immigrants.
In Portugal, these “criminal networks take advantage of people’s fragility and vulnerability,” in a context where “some politicians’ discourse is about demonizing immigrants and not about the system’s fragility,” she added.
“Involving security force personnel in this exploitation chain increases distrust among immigrants and those most vulnerable,” stated the leader of Portugal’s largest network of migrant support organizations.
According to Eugénia Quaresma, there is a need to “return to school and learn what education with character is” to regain “a trust that cannot be undermined.”
Because “the target cannot be the immigrant, the target must be the criminal webs that are being built around fragility,” and “we must fight poverty and misery, not at the expense of those who are most fragile.”
For this, a “functioning justice system is necessary, not just in organization and courts, but on the ground, with fair laws and principles of human dignity,” she argued.
Today, 17 people were arrested, including 10 GNR military officers and a PSP element, during a Polícia Judiciária (PJ) operation that dismantled a criminal organization controlling hundreds of workers in Beja, Portalegre, Figueira da Foz, and Porto. Crimes under investigation include aiding illegal immigration, forgery, tax fraud, and money laundering.
Authorities indicate that the criminal organization controlled hundreds of foreign workers, most of whom were in an irregular situation in Portugal.
A police source revealed that, in total, 17 people were arrested – those covered by arrest warrants – including the 10 GNR military officers in Beja, one PSP agent, and six civilians.
“Not all arrests were in the Beja area,” the source added, noting that most immigrant workers targeted by the network “are of Indo origin.”
According to the PJ, “through temporary employment companies created for this purpose, [the network] took advantage of their vulnerability, exploiting them, charging for accommodation and food, and keeping them under coercion through threats, with several episodes of physical assaults.”
The same police source relayed that “the criminal group, mostly comprised of Portuguese citizens, exploited the immigrants, most of whom were in an illegal situation in Portugal, and forged documents for them to work in Portugal.”
