At the conclusion of a meeting at the Presidential Palace, Ana Paula Costa, president of the House of Brazil in Lisbon, expressed hope that President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa would “be an ally” and “send the process to the Constitutional Court.”
During the meeting, “we presented all the points we highlighted as unconstitutional, which infringed on principles of proportionality and equality, especially regarding family reunification,” because the law contains “many discretionary, unclear, and non-objective issues,” explained the leader.
“Instead of the State fulfilling its obligations to have good public administration that effectively ensures policies are implemented, the Government wants to change legislation because it cannot manage a good public administration” to address migration issues.
The new law limits the applicants’ rights to appeal against rejections in the process and imposes a two-year period after granting the residence permit before family reunification for non-minor relatives can be requested.
Today, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa met with parties regarding the bill and passed meetings with sector associations to his advisors.
In the meeting with members of the Civil House, the delegation of associations, comprising the House of Brazil, Cape Verdean associations of Setúbal and Sintra, the House of India, the Gira collective, and the Brazil Institute, submitted a document summarizing their grievances.
“Bill No. 3/XVII/1st has technical, legal, and ethical weaknesses and introduces changes that could undermine the rule of law,” and the bill “compromises trust in institutions, weakens the protection of fundamental rights, and counters already established integration principles for which Portugal already holds an excellent international reputation.”
“Instead of promoting effective and humane migration management, the proposal risks generating greater social exclusion, precariousness, and uncertainty for thousands, with negative impacts on social cohesion and on the credibility of Portuguese public policies,” the signatories argue.
In a detailed analysis, the associations consider the bill unconstitutional because, among various issues, “it violates the principle of proportionality, essential to the rule of law and enshrined in European jurisprudence on immigration.”
“We were very well received” and “they will take our final request to the President,” which is to send the bill “to the Constitutional Court for a constitutional review,” said Ana Paula Costa.
“That was our main goal with the meeting, and we now hope the President will do so,” added the leader.
