“The country will be much better off, both in terms of controlling external borders and monitoring the country’s territory, if a properly organised border police force is created within the PSP,” said Leitão Amaro, who is running again on the PSD/CDS electoral lists.

The Minister of the Presidency and the Minister of Internal Administration visited Lisbon Airport and monitored the implementation of the new Entry and Exit System (SES), an integrated European model of border control that should come into force in October.

Admitting that this project could be implemented by security forces without the need for a special unit, Leitão Amaro highlighted that the model would be complete with dedicated resources.

“The Council of Ministers approved it, it went to parliament and it was rejected, as you know (...). I think that even today no one understands why the Socialist Party and Chega voted against the creation of a border police force, the National Unit for Foreigners and Borders in the PSP”, he said.

The leader of the AD-PSD/CDS coalition for Viseu also promised that the current government coalition will present the proposal again, regardless of the results of the elections on 18 May.

“The Government remains convinced that it is important to create a border police force within the PSP. We will return as soon as we can to insist on this possibility,” he said.

“I think that the country now understands the government's policy of regulated immigration, of a more intimate approach to security policy, always respecting human rights, always respecting the rules and rights of each Portuguese or foreign person who is here in national territory”, highlighted the minister.

“Green route”

Today, the so-called “green route” for immigration came into force, a mechanism that allows companies to hire, at their origin, immigrants that Portuguese economic sectors need.

“It is immigration to work with an employment contract and with conditions of dignity and also security, in which we tell the country and we tell employers that for people to come and immigrate to Portugal, there have to be conditions”, he said, explaining that a visa alone is not enough, but that this document “must be supported by a real and effective employment contract and not by fraud and deception”.

“We believe the opposite, we believe in the rule of law, we believe in authorities that do their job of inspection and governments that have the courage to regulate and this agreement says that labour immigration to Portugal must be done with rules and conditions”, he added.