This Wednesday, the President of the Republic asked the government to take measures to respond as quickly as possible to the upcoming immigration regularization processes, using human and logistical resources to put an end to the current waiting times.
Speaking to journalists from the Liceu Frances in Lisbon, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa noted that in future the functioning of the organic structure of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), which replaced the Service for Foreigners and Borders (AIMA), should be evaluated (SEF) with reception and integration perspectives.
“First, what is needed urgently, in a few months: to make the existing machine work so that the waiting time and the situation of doubt, melancholy and uncertainty for thousands of people disappear,” he said.
According to Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, it is necessary to “quickly create the conditions for operationalization, that is, to put into operation a machine capable of resolving the thousands of cases that have been pending over the past few years.”
“This is a fundamental problem, and as long as those in charge of government can meet this need using human resources, logistical resources and organizational resources, I think that is half the battle,” he added.
“Then the second part: see how organics will work when there is a cruising speed: does it work, does it work well, does it work better somewhere, worse somewhere? What needs to be changed?” he suggested. .
The President of the Republic insisted that we must “give urgency to what is most urgent and then see what organically works, will work or will not work.”
On this occasion, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was also asked about a case reported by Radio Renacensa in which a Nepalese child was attacked at a school in Lisbon and was the target of racist and xenophobic remarks from other minors.
The head of state did not comment on this particular case, which he said he knew nothing about and which he called “the type of question that is difficult to answer in such circumstances.”
In this regard, he argued that “precise knowledge of the weight of the different migrant communities in Portugal” is important because “there are often versions that do not correspond to reality.”
“Asian communities are a very recent reality, small in number, but posing new questions of work, admission, and regularization. And therefore, when we talk about migrants, it is important to separate situations and check what we are talking about,” he said.
Journalists insisted that he comment on a specific case of an attack on a Nepalese child in a Lisbon school, but Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke only in general terms about the phenomena of violence and “bullying” in schools, “whether between citizens or between citizens and foreigners,” something he regretted.
“Obviously this is a difficult task. I have attended schools in which, for example, 80 nationalities are represented, the vast majority of them non-European, or 50 or 60. And therefore “bullying”, violence in or out of school and especially against children is always reprehensible. This is always reprehensible, this is an obvious thing. How they treat this in schools or not, and how this happens, we will have to find out later,” he continued.
Regarding the integration of immigrants in Portugal, he believes that “one cannot speak in general terms.”
“We are discussing first of all the problem of regularization, if you like, legalization of thousands and thousands of migrants, and we know why this happened: due to organic changes. And that is why it is so important to solve the problem as quickly as possible. as much as possible,” he said.
On the other hand, “there are problems associated with the new organization, with how it will work in the future in terms of reception and integration.”
“Then we have the problem of how integration occurs in school or other daily realities of the various migrant communities, as well as the integration of many Portuguese citizens who are also discriminated against for economic, social or other reasons. Thus, these are different problems,” the head of state added.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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