Minister of the Presidency announces 15 new service centers for immigrants

António Leitão Amaro announced that they will open service centers for the AIMA mission structure in Braga and Porto, which will allow “tripling the State’s service capacity”.

The Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, announced this Wednesday that, in the coming weeks, 15 service centers of the Mission Structure of the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) will be inaugurated in different regions of the country.

During a hearing at the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms, and Guarantees, the minister revealed that by the end of the month, the mission structure will be operational in 15 locations across Portugal. He mentioned that, in addition to the main service center already operating in Lisbon since September, new centers will open in Braga and Porto.

Leitão Amaro highlighted that the creation of these centers will allow the State to triple its service capacity, increasing from 1,000 to 3,000 appointments. He emphasized that the goal of this structure is to handle the large number of pending immigrant cases, which exceed 400,000. The minister clarified that this initiative does not represent a "legalization option" but rather a documentation regularization. Only immigrants who comply with the law will be able to obtain a residence permit.

According to the minister, this operation aims to ensure dignity and humanity for immigrants, as well as bring more order and control, allowing the State to know who the immigrants are, where they are, and what they are doing in the country.

In the committee, António Leitão Amaro also denied that the Government is creating a reduced version of the Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) within the Public Security Police (PSP). He explained that the PSP will be granted the competence to handle the return of immigrants, but this will not imply the creation of a "mini-SEF." The minister emphasized that AIMA will continue to perform several administrative functions, including immigrant integration, and that the new responsibility assigned to the PSP will be of a policing nature.

The proposal to create the National Unit for Foreigners and Borders within the PSP is part of a government package that includes changes to the border control regime, regulation of the return of immigrants, and the implementation of a new entry and exit system for citizens from outside the Schengen area. This proposal is still under discussion in the parliamentary committee and has not yet been voted on.

The minister acknowledged that the previous government made mistakes by separating the administrative component from the integration component, particularly by removing some police functions, such as the return of immigrants. He stated that the current government is working to correct these issues and achieve greater stability.

The new PSP unit will have responsibilities in the control of air borders, inspection and oversight of the stay and activities of foreigners in Portugal, decision and execution of return actions, management of temporary detention spaces, and airport and border security.

Currently, the PSP already has an Organic Unit for Airport Security and Border Control, which was created after the SEF was dissolved on October 29 last year. This unit is responsible for controlling the entry and exit of people by air and for airport security.

During the hearing, the minister also guaranteed an increase in field inspection operations to combat illegal activities, exploitation of immigrant workers, and human trafficking networks. For this purpose, a team composed of several entities, such as the Judiciary Police (PJ), PSP, GNR, Tax Authority, AIMA, the Authority for Working Conditions, and ASAE, is operating under the coordination of the Internal Security System.

Leitão Amaro explained that this increase in inspection activities began in the summer and will continue in the coming months to intensify vigilance and combat these illegal practices.

Fonte: www.publico.pt