“I think this embarrasses the country, sincerely, this embarrasses the country,” stated the leader of Chega as he addressed journalists in Nazaré (Leiria district), during a campaign event for the upcoming local elections on Sunday.
The Moroccan citizens intercepted in August in the Algarve were released due to the maximum detention period being exceeded, while the deportation process continues, the government announced on Monday, highlighting the “objective lack of legal conditions” in these cases.
According to a joint statement from the ministries of the Presidency and Internal Administration, 37 out of the 38 Moroccan citizens who entered Portugal illegally on August 8 were released from the Temporary Installation Centers (CIT) they were held in.
André Ventura criticized, “Not only were the deadlines exceeded, but Social Security is paying them a pension to stay along with the food they receive.”
The Chega leader argued, “This does not dignify the country; it is an opening to crime and disorder.”
“These individuals, of whom we honestly have no idea who they are, have just been released; they can travel throughout Portugal, Spain, Italy, wherever. This is a security risk for us; it is a security risk for Europe. Europe looks at us as if we are truly foolish in terms of immigration, and this is a significant risk,” he stressed.
The Chega leader advocated for the necessity of ensuring the expulsion of foreigners who enter the country irregularly, as well as changes to the “asylum law, which should not be dependent on resources from those who abuse resources simply to benefit from Social Security.”
“The government has not resolved this matter because it chose not to. The PS did not want to resolve this issue, but it was a political choice, this government chose not to resolve it due to inefficacy and inoperability,” he criticized.
He stated that there are conditions in parliament “to solve this.”
“This means that those who enter Portugal are quickly expelled, and when they appeal, they wait in their own country, which is how many good countries operate, unlike here, where everyone stays, everyone stays to benefit from Social Security, everyone stays to receive subsidies and pensions, and then, years later, we learn of the final decision, I mean, it’s a mistake, and the prime minister will not solve this unless he wants to,” he emphasized.
At a small rally in Marinha Grande during the day’s second campaign event, André Ventura revisited the topic.
“We are giving to others what we do not have for ourselves. We don’t have healthcare in Portugal, we don’t have a decent school infrastructure; schools are degraded, as is visible everywhere, medical posts are in an absolute state of degradation, but we always have something to give to others, be they loud minorities or people coming from abroad,” he stated.
