A former BE deputy, José Soeiro, disclosed this information following a meeting held on Tuesday in Porto, where immigrants from various countries gathered in preparation for a demonstration.
José Soeiro explained that the choice of the date, the 17th, is significant as it marks the resumption of plenary sessions in the Assembly of the Republic. On that day, the agenda includes the resumption of debates on immigration and nationality laws, two proposals returned to the Assembly due to a rejection by the Constitutional Court.
“It is crucial that on this day, as the discussion resumes, the voices of thousands of immigrants mobilizing from Algarve, Odemira, Lisbon, and Porto to stand before Parliament at 14:00 are heard,” stated Soeiro, speaking as a member of the Associação Solidariedade Imigrante.
Regarding the “80 immigrants detained by the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA) because of prior travel through other countries before arriving in Portugal, despite having committed no crime,” Soeiro criticized the Government for “spending significant funds on penal measures in repressive policies against immigrant workers by building detention centers,” stressing, “The State is misusing PRR funds intended for housing to construct detention centers for immigrant workers.”
“The State should be using this money to improve public services, particularly AIMA, to respect the law, which is currently being ignored, to ensure the regularization of immigrants who have been contributing for two, three, or four years,” he emphasized.
In connection with the demonstration, a delegation of eight immigrants representing four regions where they work in Portugal intends to deliver a document with their demands to the President of the Assembly of the Republic.
The Association Solidariedade Imigrante and a collective of immigrants, who organized the July protest in front of the Temporary Installation Center in Porto, are in charge of the event.
The immigrants are seeking the right to documentation, family reunification, the release of immigrants detained in temporary centers without any criminal charges, along with respect, dignity, and justice.
