The BE coordinator today accused the PSD/CDS-PP Government of having created an “institutionalized mafia” that prevents the regularization of immigrants and considered that the executive has the responsibility to finance the associations that help these citizens.
“By passing the responsibility for issuing visas to consulates, and knowing that what consulates do is give this task to private companies, and that private companies give visas to whoever pays the most, what the Government has created is an institutionalized mafia to grant visas to whoever pays the most,” accused Mariana Mortágua.
After a visit to the Islamic Community Association of Tapada das Mercês and Mem Martins, located in the municipality of Sintra, in the district of Lisbon, the Bloco leader once again criticized the minority executive for having ended the mechanism of expression of interest, which allowed immigrants to obtain a residence permit in Portugal.
“When a person cannot regularize their situation or cannot renew their visa, renew their authorization, it means that they are working in Portugal illegally, it means that they cannot make their Social Security contributions, it means that they cannot obtain their driving license, they cannot access public services and, therefore, what the State is doing, what the Government is doing, by ending the possibility of regularizing immigrants, is promoting illegal immigration without rights”, he argued.
After visiting the space of this Sintra association, Mariana Mortágua highlighted the importance of supporting these entities.
“When an immigrant arrives in Portugal and has difficulties with the language, bureaucracy, or digital issues, they have two options: either there is an association that is an arm of the State, the State’s interlocutor, that provides support, or they fall into the arms of a mafia or a fraudulent law firm that will rob them in order to access basic services. And that is also why the State has this responsibility, which is to finance the associations and support them,” he argued.
Mortágua considered that AIMA – Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum “has to work” and regretted that some immigrants who work in Portugal, who in the country “have their families and make contributions to Social Security”, are “mistreated by the same State that then keeps their contributions”.
The European Union's asylum agency released a report today indicating that between January and June this year, member states received more than half a million asylum applications (513,000) and, when asked whether Portugal's public services have the capacity to respond, Mariana Mortágua responded that this “is the State's duty”.
The Bloco member recalled that there are immigrants working in Portugal in search of better living conditions, but also people fleeing armed conflicts or natural disasters.
“And we cannot think that we live in a bubble of well-being and that we close the doors so that everyone dies within our borders. That will not be, cannot be, our future. Our future must be one of providing answers, of including the people who seek us out and of understanding that solidarity must be the main value of a State and not a selfish State”, he argued.
The leader of the Islamic Community Association of Tapada das Mercês and Mem Martins Mamadou Bah stated that requests for help are increasing every day and reported that immigrants have been experiencing difficulties following recent changes to immigration law.
Although the space in Tapada das Mercês is small, this association helps those who seek it in several ways: family support, school education, distributing food to families, it has a library and even a small radio studio.
Mamadou Bah said that he has five technicians who work on site every day and has the help of 15 volunteers.