Portugal remains at the end of the ranking of the European Union (EU) in removing immigrants without the right to stay in the country, according to the report for the third quarter of this year released by Eurostat this Friday, December 19th.
The country comes in last place, with 55 returns carried out between the months of July and September. According to the EU methodology, this data concerns citizens who have formally received an exit order and who have been effectively returned to their country of origin (coercive).
Following Portugal is Slovakia, with 140 cases. At the opposite end of the table is France, which displaced 33,760 citizens during this period. Close behind is Germany, with 12,510 cases. Greece completes the top three, with 10,175 absences.
The report also presents data on absences that include voluntary returns. In this table, Portugal occupies the 23rd position among the 27 Member States. 160 returns were registered in the third quarter.
Behind Portugal are Estonia (145), Luxembourg (110) and Slovakia (105). In this rankinga Germany leads, with 7,190 returns, followed by France, with 3,760, and Cyprus, which carried out 3,000 returns.
Across the EU as a whole, compared to the third quarter of 2024, the number of non-EU citizens forced to leave increased by 2.7%. The number of people who returned to third countries rose 14.6%.
Change of law in Portugal
The document, published periodically, appears on the same day that the Government discussed a proposed law with the National Migration Council aimed at accelerating the returns of immigrants. The text is also under public consideration and will be taken to the Council of Ministers in January.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the meeting, minister António Leitão Amaro commented on what the data shows. “The return system today is a failure, it practically doesn’t exist. Portugal is one of the countries that performs the least in the end”he stated.
According to the minister, “there is a significant increase in return orders” with the recent creation of the Foreigners and Borders Unit (UNEF) of the Public Security Police (PSP), but stressed that improvement is needed. “Its final materialization is not a reality comparable to that of other European countries, therefore it must improve”he added.
Leitão Amaro reiterated that an effective return policy is necessary to distinguish the different types of immigration. “If there is no difference between what is legal and illegal, being illegal has no consequences. This is a huge injustice for those who came regularly. The Portuguese and foreigners who live in Portugal on a regular basis lose confidence that the State has the situation under control”he concluded.
A similar argument was highlighted by António Vitorino, former director of the Organization for Migration (IOM), at a conference of the Migration Observatory. It is very important to understand that a credible and effective return policy is essential to create trust in the system in the host community. Because, without this component, it is not possible to give credibility to a migration management system among the host communities”, he explained.
However, it draws attention to the way in which these policies are constructed and communicated. “If we do not have the capacity to implement a return policy, there is no difference between regular immigration and irregular immigration. Another conversation is how this return policy applies”he highlighted.
amanda.lima@dn.pt