Immigrants gather this Friday at Parliament to ask for the return of expressions of interest
A collective of fifty immigrant associations is meeting this Friday in front of the Legislative Assembly to ask for the return of expressions of interest as a way of guaranteeing the regularization of foreigners.
The group of 57 associations criticizes the changes in the law on foreigners promoted by the government in June and which led to the end of the legal resource that allowed the regularization of foreigners who arrived on a tourist visa, as long as they had 12 months of social security discounts.
Speaking to Lusa, the president of the Associação Solidariedade Imigrante considers that the associative movement is motivated by a large demonstration of immigrants.
“We are mobilized for this demonstration”, called for “a day when it is not easy” to mobilize people, as it is a normal work day, Timóteo Macedo tells Lusa.
“We are going to hold a big demonstration with concentration and a day of struggle in front of the Assembly of the Republic”, promises the leader of the largest immigrant association in the country, with 150 thousand members of almost 200 nationalities.
Timóteo Macedo promises to fight for the rights of the most fragile, essential for the Portuguese economy, as several business associations say.
“The extreme right is growing in Portugal and Europe, with the support of the European Pact [da Migração e Asilo]which was also approved by many Portuguese deputies and is witnessing a protectionist trend, from the “closing of borders in Germany” to the construction of “immigrant detention centers outside the EU”.
This trend corresponds to “cycles that repeat themselves”, but “the extreme right has no ground” in Portugal: “We will fight, we will stand up to them”, promises Timóteo Macedo, who accuses populist movements of violating their own morals Western people they claim to defend.
The ultimate objective of the collective of 50 associations that promote the demonstration is “the resumption of a process that permanently regularizes” the people who are working and contributing in Portugal, instead of “exceptional solutions for some”, like what happened with athletes or other categories of immigrants.
