According to government, most immigrants who are targeted by the authorities come from Asian countries.
Foreigners living in Portugal were surprised at the beginning of the month by the announcement of a new wave of deportations, led by the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, responsible for political articulation. In the first few weeks, 4,500 court notifications are planned. In the coming months, the total is expected to reach 18,000.
The targets of the measure – which receive the warning at home or in the workplace, in action of the Public Security Police – have 20 days to leave the country. If they break the deadline, they can be detained in the CITs (Temporary Facility Centers), where they will wait for flights to their countries of origin.
The news caused a major uproar among Brazilians, the largest contingent of immigrants in the country – 33,000 according to official data, about 700,000 according to the Embassy of Brazil. However, the effects for the community must be restricted.
In communicating the deportations, Minister Leitão Amaro said two-thirds of the citizens to be notified were originally from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan. “It is estimated that the impact among Brazilians is very small,” says lawyer Érica Acosta, a specialist in immigration law.
“Until now no concrete case of Brazilian has come to us who has been notified,” says Ana Paula Costa, president of the House of Brazil of Lisbon, a support organization for the Brazilian community.
The main reason for the notification would be the lack of a certificate of criminal record or the inclusion in the register of refusal of the Schengen Area (Integrated System) SIS – the area that covers 31 European nations and allows free movement between one country and another.
“These two issues affect little Brazilians,” says Érica Acosta. “In some Asian countries it is necessary to wait months for a certificate of criminal history, which needs to be apostilled. In Brazil, it is possible to download on the internet and has immediate validity in Portugal."
As for the Schengen Area, there are few Brazilians cataloged in the SIS, which contain the names of those who have been denied visas by some country in the region. Brazilian tourists do not need a visa to enter most European countries.
Deportations of immigrants are nothing new in Europe. “The Return Directive has been around since 2008 and obliges countries to notify and deport undocumented immigrants,” says Ana Paula Costa. “The announcement was made as if it were something new, on the eve of the elections, perhaps in order to please voters who are against immigration.” The country will go to the polls next Sunday (18).