President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will meet with Chega's president, André Ventura, this Tuesday for an urgently requested meeting focused on the enactment of the new immigration law. The legislation, approved in Parliament with the favorable votes of the PSD, Chega, and CDS parties, is still awaiting presidential enactment, prompting criticism from Ventura, who accuses Marcelo of deliberately delaying the process.
According to the Chega leader, this law is "fundamental for border control and the country's social stability," and he emphasized his concern about the delay in its enactment. "The President cannot be an obstacle to immigration control and the country's security," Ventura stated, as quoted by the Lusa news agency last Friday, the 18th.
The law in question received an abstention from the Liberal Initiative and votes against from the Socialist Party, Left Bloc, National Legislative Assembly, and the Free Party. However, André Ventura believes that opposition to the new legislation represents an attempt at political obstruction rather than a serious analysis of its content. "The series of hearings requested was so clear that it was merely a delaying tactic, essentially trying to prevent immigration control in Portugal and our country from having more controlled borders," he argued.
Ventura also warns of what he considers an uncontrolled influx of immigrants into Portugal. "It's worrying that families are entering Portugal every day," he declared, referring to the pressure this could put on social and housing systems. The Chega leader also cited statements by Minister of the Presidency, Leitão Amaro, to support the idea that this is a situation with lasting implications: "If it isn't resolved or at least mitigated, it will leave us with decades-long problems."
Regarding the legal arguments raised by some opposition groups regarding possible unconstitutionalities in the new law, Ventura dismisses any significant risk. "The law does not raise significant constitutional issues," he stated, adding that the main objective is to ensure that families entering the country do so in a regulated manner and without systematically resorting to social support. "Each family that enters is another family that we will later have to resolve, for better or worse," he concluded.
The meeting between Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and André Ventura will take place at Belém Palace and will be closely followed by both the executive and the parties with seats in parliament, at a time when the issue of immigration is increasingly central to the national political debate.