The association responded to statements made by the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, who announced that the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) will notify approximately 18,000 immigrants to leave the country, with 4,574 set to be informed next week that they must leave Portugal by the end of the month.
The association expressed concern over the “coincidence” of the announcement coming just before the start of the electoral campaign for the legislative elections. It voiced fears that the campaign could be “tainted with hate speech and profound misinformation from the far-right, which has been lovingly endorsed by the Government, spreading manifestly false information about the migratory phenomenon in Portugal.”
SOS Racismo highlighted the “chronic delays” by the agency in processing requests for residence permits, issuance or renewal of documentation, and family reunification, lamenting that the agency is now “preparing to lead a mass expulsion process.”
The association further criticized Leitão Amaro’s statements, suggesting that by saying “rules are to be followed,” he implies that immigrants are non-compliant, whereas SOS Racismo is aware of “numerous atrocities committed against immigrant populations.”
“This announcement of the imminent expulsion of thousands of immigrants, people who live and work in Portugal and enrich the country in many ways, deserves our total repudiation,” the association stated, arguing for the need to “stop the criminalization of immigrants.”
“‘Criminal’ and unacceptable are the anti-immigration policies that have been imposed and proposed! Criminals are those who spread hate and feed on it! They shall not pass!” the association declared.
Portuguese authorities estimate the number of foreign residents in Portugal in 2024 to be 1.6 million, according to the interim report on pending processes at AIMA, released at the beginning of April.
Regarding the 18,000 notifications, Leitão Amaro revealed that this is “the first set of decisions” by AIMA, and that there are “another 110,000 cases,” noting that “the majority will be approved.”
The Minister of the Presidency noted that the majority of cases—two-thirds—are related to immigrants from the Indian subcontinent.
“We are very committed, we have already given instructions, for coordination and execution to all forces and authorities. The Portuguese need to understand, feel, and be confident that immigration policy today is regulated. Rules are to be followed […] and these people who are in this situation are those who have violated Portuguese and European rules to be on European territory,” the minister specified.
He added, “For justice with those who abide by the rules in Portugal, both Portuguese and foreigners, a State that enforces the rules—a rule of law—needs to follow the legal consequences, which is to notify for departure. A 20-day period to voluntarily leave, after which a coercive removal should occur.”
