“Immigration in Lisbon: what is the future?” is the question that raises this thematic debate at the AML, with the first two sessions open to the participation of invited speakers, entities and the general public, and the third and final session integrated into an assembly meeting to discuss and assess the report and possible recommendations to the council, as well as motions addressed to the Government.
“It was important to debate this issue in the assembly, to understand how the local authority can play a role here, to contribute to solving a problem that is evident in the city”, PAN municipal deputy António Morgado Valente told Lusa, considering the increase in homeless immigrants in Lisbon to be “very serious”.
Scheduled for 12 September, at 5:30 pm, at the AML headquarters, on Avenida de Roma, the first session has as its subtheme “migration management: institutional responses”, with the panel of speakers being Sofia Athayde (CDS-PP), Councillor for Human and Social Rights at Lisbon City Council (CML); Miguel Soares, from the Municipal Council for Interculturality and Citizenship (CMIC); Mário Ribeiro, from the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA); Catarina Reis Oliveira, from the Migration Observatory (OM); Vasco Malta, from the International Organization for Migration (IOM); and Paulo Fernandes (PSD), Mayor of Fundão.
The second session, scheduled for 26 September, is about “the difficulties experienced by associations in integrating/supporting the migrant population”, with the participation of Filipa Roseta, Councillor for Housing and Local Development at CML; Filipa Bolotinha, from the Renovar a Mouraria association; Cyntia de Paula, from the Casa do Brasil de Lisboa (CBL); Hugo Ventura, from the Centro Padre Alves Correia (CEPAC); Filipa Louro, from the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS); Timóteo Macedo, from the Associação Solidariedade Imigrante (Imigrant Solidarity Association); Henrique Chaves, from the Frente Anti-Racista (FAR); and António Vitorino, former director-general of the IOM.
“We will hear from those who understand the area and have worked extensively in this area and what solutions they can propose for the problem in Lisbon”, said the PAN MP.
The third and final session, on a date yet to be defined, will be integrated into a meeting of the AML to assess the report prepared within the scope of the thematic debate, as well as to discuss and vote on proposals from municipal MPs regarding measures to be implemented in the city to respond to the increase in immigration.
“All municipal groups agreed that we should move forward with this debate”, revealed António Morgado Valente, stating that the proposal was for it to take place before the August holidays, but this was not possible due to the AML agenda.
The sole PAN deputy stressed that the debate on immigration “is urgent and the answers must be presented as soon as possible”, and promised to press for the report concluding the discussion on the topic to be presented “at the latest by the end of October”.
The dignified reception of immigrants is the central issue of the debate, which implies responses in different areas, particularly housing, employment, education and health, pointed out the PAN elected representative, highlighting the legalisation process, including the residence permit for foreign citizens living in Portugal, as the main problem to be resolved, particularly due to the delay in response from AIMA.
“People come looking for a better life and when they arrive in Portugal, in recent years, what has happened is that they face immense difficulties. We also know that there is a lot of human trafficking, so there is illegal immigration happening here and it needs to be combated. We need to combat this clandestinity and the exploitation that is happening to many people who come to Portugal”, declared António Morgado Valente.
In this regard, the PAN MP argued that the response “cannot be solely and exclusively from the municipality of Lisbon or the Lisbon Metropolitan Area”, advocating “a concerted strategy for the whole country to receive immigrants with dignity”.
In the 2021-2025 term, there are 13 municipal groups in the AML: PS (27 deputies), PSD (17), CDS-PP (six), PCP (five), BE (four), IL (three), Chega (three), PEV (two), PAN (one), Livre (one), PPM (one), MPT (one) and Aliança (one), two independent deputies from the Cidadãos por Lisboa movement (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) and one non-registered deputy (who left the CDS), for a total of 75 elected.