“I agree with limits on immigrant entry,” stated the head of the Madeira executive during a visit to the social project run by the “Garo(u)ta do Calhau” Association in Funchal.
Asserting that “uncontrolled immigration is the worst that can happen,” Miguel Albuquerque emphasized the importance of the new foreign nationals law, which was approved on Tuesday in the Assembly of the Republic.
“Currently, almost 15% of the Portuguese population is immigrant. If it is not controlled, there won’t even be money to support certain aspects: public health, social security, education. All this brings dysfunction to societies,” he argued.
The Madeira leader also expressed that “uncontrolled immigration is the main fuel for populism” and contributes to the “installation of insecurity.”
To illustrate his point, he mentioned countries with “cohesive societies,” such as Denmark and Sweden, where “far-right parties have already advanced with 20 to 25%.”
He believes that if there is a law controlling immigrant entry, “people enter, must comply with the rules, are integrated into the labor market, this ensures that society does not become extremist, nor have problems.”
Albuquerque reinforced that there is a “dysfunction” in social peace “in most European countries, even the most developed, due to uncontrolled immigration.”
“If you look at crime rates, they haven’t increased, but the discourse goes in that direction, bringing xenophobia, racism, all that is not rational in people’s lives, but that later transforms the political and social landscape,” he emphasized.
The Assembly of the Republic approved the new version of the foreign nationals law on Tuesday, with favorable votes from PSD, CDS-PP, Chega, IL, and JPP, and negative votes from PS, Livre, PCP, BE, and PAN.
The new version of the decree approving the legal regime for the entry, stay, exit, and expulsion of foreigners from the national territory, which had been rejected by the Constitutional Court last August, was passed in a final global vote after all proposed amendments by the parties were voted on in detail.
In the special vote, all amendments proposed by the coalition supporting the Government (PSD and CDS-PP) were approved, except those withdrawn, as well as a proposal from PS and three from Chega.
During the detailed vote, PSD and CDS-PP withdrew a proposal regarding the conditions for renewing residence permits under family reunification, to approve Chega’s proposal in the same area.
Chega’s proposal suggests that the evaluation of residence permit renewal should not account for social support, a detail not included in the PSD and CDS proposal, though it is mentioned in the previous point of the decree, as proposed by the two Government parties, that State support should not be considered in calculating a family’s means of subsistence.
PSD and CDS-PP also withdrew proposals regarding the period of valid residence to request family reunification, in cases where spouses have lived with the family reunification applicant the year before they immigrated to Portugal, to approve Chega’s proposal which changes the deadlines.
From PS, the two parties that support the Government only allowed the feasibility of one amendment proposal, relating to bilateral agreements with third countries to expedite the procedures for issuing visas and residence permits.
Besides PSD, CDS-PP, Chega, and PS, Livre and JPP also presented amendment proposals, though none were approved in parliament.
