“There is a future commitment that we will fight against the abuse of social support regarding immigrants. This is in the agreement and is also a commitment for the future,” he stated.
The leader of Chega was speaking to journalists in Albufeira before joining the party’s leading candidate for this Algarve municipal council, deputy Rui Cristina, on a visit to the Caliços Municipal Market as part of the campaign for the local elections on the 12th.
When asked if it was a step back for Chega to withdraw its proposal seeking that immigrants could only access social support after five years of contributions, André Ventura replied that “there was mutual negotiation, which is normal in politics.”
“It is false that there were concessions. Well, there was the concession of negotiation, as there was from the PSD, on our part,” he pointed out.
The leader of Chega also indicated that this issue, which was not included in the new foreigners’ law approved on Tuesday as his party wanted, will now “be legislated separately.”
“It was agreed, we do not have a defined date. It was agreed that now, in the context of combating these abuses, it will be legislated separately,” since “the Government understands that this anti-abuse legislation, this limitation legislation should be done separately, and not included in the family reunification issue,” he explained.
Ventura also emphasized that in this law the “government established in its formulation not only the prohibition but also the fight against the abuse of social benefits.”
“It is not the formulation we would like, but it is progress compared to what we would have,” he argued.
“It was established, however, that those who come to Portugal, those who request family reunification must show, at the moment of family reunification, that they have the necessary means of subsistence to live in Portugal, but more, that they will not likely depend on subsidies and social support. This is a victory for Chega,” he highlighted.
The Chega leader further stated that the party will “insist that those who come to Portugal as immigrants do not have the right to social support before contributing for five years” and assured they will not back down on this matter.
When questioned about such limitations being declared unconstitutional in the past by the Constitutional Court, André Ventura argued that “the world has changed, the disposition of the judges has changed, as seen in various dissenting opinions related to the foreigners’ law, and there is a new reality that did not exist during Pedro Passos Coelho’s time.”
“We are in a different country, with a problem with immigration and needing to control social support,” he argued, advocating that “both the courts, the deputies, and politicians also need to adapt to this.”
André Ventura also wanted to “categorically deny” the report from the weekly Nascer do Sol, which claims the prime minister forced the Chega leader to “give in completely” regarding the new foreigners’ law.
“It’s a lie,” he stressed, saying he was not contacted by the newspaper before the report was published.
