“Something from another world”: Marcelo criticizes the extinction of the SEF by the Costa government

The President of the Republic criticized the way in which the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), which replaced the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF). This is another of the revelations made by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, at dinner with foreign journalists, who has been talking.

After controversial statements about António Costa and Luís Montenegro and about the duty to repair Portugal’s colonial past, We know of another opinion shared by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, at the table at the meeting that took place last Tuesday.

The head of state was questioned by Diário de Notícias about the way the country is welcoming immigrants since the SEF was abolished. The President responded that, to the create the Agency for Migration and Asylum Integrationthe previous government created a “Portuguese-style” solution. This means that the Executive tried to please everyone, but left several loose ends.

“Political ineptitude”

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa admits that the decision to end the Foreigners and Borders Service was taken after the episode of death of a Ukrainian citizen on the airport premises. And he considers that the answer given “was, in some way, negative discrimination, caused by political ineptitude”. In the opinion of the head of state, the Executive did not think about the consequences that such a measure could have.

The President of the Republic speaks of the delays and the difficulty in renewing residence permits, through the new agency, as “something from another world” and that “it causes confusion”.

Arrives at praise the patience of the former Minister of Internal Administration, José Luís CarneiroIt is about the previous Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Ana Catarina Mendes, says that she promised him speed, but did not perform miracles.

When he promulgated the diploma that extinguished the SEF, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa raised doubts about how the new agency would work.

Now, understands that the Government must treat the matter with priority and suggests the creation of a task force to solve the problem.

Luís Montenegro’s government has not yet said what it will do, but, when the SEF was extinguished, the PSD, in opposition, voted against.