The Portuguese government announces plans to expel 18,000 immigrants
Ahead of the May 18 legislative elections, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's center-right government has taken a tough stance on illegal immigrants. The opposition denounces this as a show, while the press points out that the number of deportations is actually "very low."
"The government is moving towards 'Trump-style' deportations," headlined Correio da Manhã on Sunday, May 4 , the day after a government announcement. "Around 18,000 illegal immigrants will receive an order to leave the country, and many more will follow," the newspaper explained, before adding, not fooled, that this "mass expulsion" came right at the launch of the legislative election campaign, scheduled for Sunday, May 18.
Behind this sensationalist headline, which is its custom, Correio da Manhã explained that the center-right government led by Luís Montenegro had ordered the police to detain anyone in an irregular situation who refused to leave. "If the illegal immigrants do not leave of their own accord, they will be forcibly expelled," the daily stated, even though the author of the announcement, the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, had acknowledged the day before that Portugal had "great difficulty carrying out forced removals" since the reform of the immigration services.
On this issue, which “will be part of the campaign,” the Jornal de Notícias goes even further and announces that thousands of other foreigners could be targeted.
Courrier International
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