Miguel Albuquerque, the President of the Regional Government of Madeira (PSD/CDS-PP), emphasises the need for a law on immigration to regulate the influx of foreigners, aiming to prevent societal dysfunction and curb the rise of extremism and populism.
“I agree with immigration entry limits,” said the Madeiran chief executive during a visit to the Association “Garo(u)ta do Calhau,” in Funchal.
While talking to reporters about the new law on immigrants that was approved on Tuesday in the Assembly of the Republic, he said:
“Uncontrolled immigration is one of the worst things that can happen. Right now, 15% of Portugal’s population consists of immigrants. This means that if immigration isn’t managed, government budgets might struggle to cover basic needs like public health, social security, and education. This creates dysfunction in societies,” he explained. He added that uncontrolled immigration fuels populism and increases insecurity.
To exemplify, he pointed to countries with “societies that were cohesive,” such as Denmark and Sweden, where “far-right parties have already advanced with 20 and 25% of the vote.”
In his opinion, if there is a law that controls the entry of immigrants, saying, “those who live here have to comply with the rules, they are integrated into the labour market, this will ensure that society is not extreme, nor are there problems.”
Albuquerque stressed that there is a “dysfunctionality in social peace” in most European countries, even the most developed ones, due to uncontrolled immigration.
“If you look at the crime rates, they have not increased, but the discourse goes in this direction, it brings xenophobia, it brings racism, it brings everything that is not rational in people’s lives, but that will later transform the political and social paranoia.”
The Assembly of the Republic approved on Tuesday the new version of the foreigners law with the votes in favour of PSD, CDS-PP, Chega, IL, and JPP, and votes against from PS, Livre, PCP, BE, and PAN.
The new version of the decree that approves the legal regime for the entry, stay, exit, and removal of foreigners from the national territory, which had been rejected by the Constitutional Court last August, was approved in a final global vote after all the changes proposed by the parties were voted on, in detail.
In the vote on the specialty, all the amendments proposed by the coalition that supports the Government (PSD and CDS-PP) were approved, except for those that were withdrawn, as well as one proposal from the PS and three from Chega.
From the PS, the two parties that support the Government allowed the feasibility of only one amendment proposal, relating to bilateral agreements with third States, to streamline the procedures for issuing visas and residence permits.
In addition to PSD, CDS-PP, Chega, and PS, Livre and JPP also presented proposals for amendments, none of which were approved in parliament.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeia-weekly.com
