“Excellent”. This is how João Ribeiro, director of the National Unit for Foreigners and Borders (UNEF), defines collaboration with the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA). Questioned by DN / DN Brazil On the topic, the superintendent explained that the agency’s databases have been used to obtain information about immigrants.
According to Ribeiro, this cooperation has been increasingly reinforced. “We are establishing protocols with AIMA in terms of collaboration,” he said. By 2026, the Public Security Police (PSP) plans to have its own applications for the “process management” of returning immigrants – something that should increase if the Government’s new law proposal in this area is approved.
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The newspaper questioned the director of UNEF on the subject because, when the unit was created, a concern among Brazilians living in Portugal was whether agents would have access to the various information systems on the status of each immigrant’s process. In addition to this fragmentation and old databases, the delay in the State’s response led to new situations.
This is the case with legal actions, now numbering in the thousands. Since last year, the search for rights (family reunification, renewal or first residence permit) through the courts has become one of the only solutions for immigrants. However, the PSP does not have access to this data, unless AIMA has already been cited by the court in that case.
amanda.lima@dn.pt