Portugal: Foreigners and Borders Service to be abolished today

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Portugal: Foreigners and Borders Service to be abolished today

12:30 CAT | 22 Oct 2021

File photo: Lusa

The extinction of Portugal’s Foreigners and Borders Service will have a final vote today in parliament with the transfer of police powers to the other police forces, PSP, GNR and PJ and the creation of the Portuguese Agency for Migration and Asylum (APMS).

The final vote comes after the proposal of the Socialist Party (PS), and the Left Bloc was voted on Wednesday in a specialised session with votes in favour from these two parties and Joacine Katar Moreira.

The new text to be voted on today concerning the draft law presented by the government is the creation of the Portuguese Agency for Migration and Asylum, at the suggestion of the BE, instead of the Foreigners and Asylum Service, which was included in the text proposed by the Ministry of Internal Administration.

The proposal determines that the current administrative attributions of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) regarding foreign citizens will be exercised by the APMA and the Institute of Registration and Notary.

As for the transfer of SEF police powers to the National Republican Guard (GNR), the Public Security Police (PSP) and the Judiciary Police (PJ), in general, what was foreseen in the government’s proposal is maintained.

In this sense, the law voted proceeds today to restructure the Portuguese border control system, reformulating the regime of the forces and services that exercise the activity of internal security.

This division of the SEF between police and administrative functions related to immigrants was foreseen in the government’s programme and was announced by the minister of internal administration after the death of a Ukrainian citizen in the SEF facilities at Lisbon airport, for which three inspectors were convicted.

The restructuring has been vehemently opposed by inspectors’ unions and SEF employees and by some political parties, namely the CDS and PSD.

The government’s proposal received 13 negative opinions requested by the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees.

Source: Lusa