The Portuguese government has notified 10,000 immigrants to voluntarily abandon their homes and proposed speeding up expulsions in Parliament this fall.
Portugal's center-right Democratic Alliance government has announced a new plan to accelerate immigrant expulsions . Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro revealed that the proposal will be presented to Parliament this fall, following a previous attempt that was vetoed as unconstitutional and faced opposition resistance.
Amaro highlighted that approximately 10,000 immigrants have already been notified of voluntary abandonment, as part of a process aimed at regularizing the status of immigrants whose residence permit applications were rejected. The notification, which began in June, is expected to be sent to a total of 33,000 immigrants . The government hopes that the new bill, which promises to speed up the return process, will find support, especially from the far-right Chega party.
Process Details
The minister stated that the government is aware of the bureaucracy involved in immigration processes, with approximately 100,000 pending cases , 20,000 of which are concentrated in Lisbon. Most cases are registered on paper and forwarded to the new immigration police. Amaro did not specify how the accelerated expulsions will be implemented, but emphasized that immigrants' fundamental rights will be upheld.
The proposal to accelerate expulsions comes amid growing pressure on the government, which lacks a majority in Parliament and relies on opposition support to advance its initiatives. The new approach is expected to generate heated debate, especially considering the rejection of the previous proposal in 2024.