Portugal begins deportation of 18,000 migrants
The Portuguese government has initiated deportation procedures for 18,000 illegal immigrants, primarily from Central Asia. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro assures that these actions are not related to the upcoming parliamentary elections.
What do you need to know?
- The Portuguese government has launched deportation procedures for illegal immigrants, most of whom are citizens of Central Asia.
- Deportations will be conducted in stages, with the first stage involving over 4,500 individuals who are to leave the country within 20 days.
The Portuguese government, led by Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, started deportation procedures for 18,000 illegal immigrants on Monday. The majority of them are citizens of Central Asian countries.
Who will be deported from Portugal?
Deportations will be carried out in stages. In the first stage, which is set to end in May, over 4,500 people will receive notifications to leave Portugal within 20 days.
In the following weeks, an additional 13,500 people are expected to receive similar notifications.
Why must immigrants leave Portugal?
Among the 18,000 people whose applications for resident status were rejected, the majority are citizens of Central Asia. Their applications were rejected due to a lack of required documents. Over 75% of them are citizens of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, as specified by the Portuguese government representative António Leitão Amaro.
The Prime Minister emphasized that this process is not related to the upcoming parliamentary elections, despite accusations from the opposition that these actions are part of an election campaign.
