Migrant support organizations and the Lisbon HDZ have accused the Lisbon Parish Council of Arroyos of exceeding its powers by deciding to restrict the issuance of residence certificates requested by non-EU immigrants, making it difficult for them to legalize themselves in the country.
In response, the parish council stressed that it is obliged to “strictly comply” with the law, so before issuing a certificate of residence or any other document, it is obliged to require the applicant to prove that they have the right to reside in a legally valid country.
We are talking about a notification published by the Junta de Arroyos (from the Novos Tempos coalition, PSD/CDS-PP, Carlos Moedas), according to which the municipality began to require a valid residence permit (renting or buying a house) to issue certificates. residence of foreign nationals outside the EU, despite the law stating that for this certificate, the testimony of two people registered in the parish or a declaration of honor from the person requesting the document is sufficient.
In their statement, eleven associations and groups supporting migrants reject the measure, believing that it “increases the criminalization of immigration” and interferes with “the process of legalizing migrants, the exercise of their rights and the fulfillment of their legal obligations,” as stated in this testimony. “needed for important things like getting residency, registering with the NHS, school or even finances.”
On the other hand, the associations stressed that the residence certificate is a “purely administrative document” issued by parish councils.
“By exceeding the powers granted by this administrative act to parish councils, making them dependent on a valid residence permit, the executive, led by Madalena Natividade of the Novos Tempos PSD-SDS coalition, worsens the situation and shows its true intentions of stigmatizing migration,” they said .
The organizations also considered that this decision would have the opposite effect on the municipality’s possible goals of combating “situations of lawlessness.”
“In fact, your decision does nothing more than condemn migrants to illegality in the face of the law and involve them in fraudulent schemes that fleece us and which we all want to fight,” they added.
Those who were elected by the CDU in the Arroios parish assembly also expressed “serious concerns” as they considered the municipality’s decision to be “an administrative (bureaucratic) obstacle” and “therefore also an obstacle” to the legalization process of these immigrants.
“The Parish Council will, on its own initiative, monitor and assess the legality of the situation of non-Community foreign nationals who use the services of the Parish Council with a view to obtaining a residence permit there. Such verification or verification is not within the competence of the Parish Council, but rather of the competent administrative authorities and, ultimately, the courts,” the coalition emphasized.
The CDU also stressed that the junta discriminates against non-EU foreign citizens living in Arroyos parish against other residents in the same situation on national territory.
Associations and the CDU emphasize that before legalization, migrants already follow the path of bureaucratic obstacles, and the parish’s position “only complicates” this process.
The CDU said it had already asked local authorities to explain the reasons that prompted the Parish Council to make the change.
In a written response to Lusa, Arroios Parish Council President Madalena Natividade stressed that the municipality is obliged to “strictly comply” with the law within its legal powers and authority, which includes “the inability to issue documents.” containing statements and other decisions that do not comply with current legislation.”
The municipality considered that in order to issue a residence certificate to non-EU citizens, “the legislator defines as a “legal resident” a foreign national who has a residence permit in Portugal valid for one year or more.”
“Therefore, non-EU foreign nationals who have the right to reside in Portuguese territory are issued a residence permit, so that when they request the issuance of a residence certificate, they will have to be the holder of a legally considered “residence permit”,” wrote, emphasizing, that, therefore, before issuing a residence certificate, local authorities are “obliged” to “require the applicant to provide evidence that he is in fact and in law the holder of a valid residence permit”, under threat of a fine, cannot comply with the request.
The municipality also emphasized that this “understanding has been accepted, among other administrative entities, by the General Directorate of Local Authorities and the Regional Commission for Coordination and Development – North.”
Among the migrants and anti-racist organizations that signed the statement are Casa do Brasil, Grupo Teatro do Oprimido, Consciência Negra, Associação de Afrodescendentes, HuBB – Humans Before Borders, Kilombo – Plataforma de Intervenção Anti-racista, Olho Vivo, Renovar a Mouraria. , Immigrant Solidarity, SOS Racism and Just Living.
Arroios is a parish in which citizens of several countries live, concentrating dozens of representatives of different nationalities, many of whom are in difficult situations.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.