The Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, addressed the extraordinary regularization policy implemented by the Spanish government for hundreds of thousands of immigrants during a parliamentary hearing in the European Affairs committee.
Rangel mentioned that on July 31st and August 1st, he and the Prime Minister had stated that there was no threat to the Schengen Area at that time, although he reserved the possibility of this changing later.
When questioned by several deputies about events in the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, where over 70,000 people crossed the border with Morocco at the end of July, Rangel stated that he had received 'reliable and abundant' information from Spanish authorities and maintained frequent contact with Rabat.
The minister emphasized the 'condemnation' of certain actions by the Spanish government that generate a 'pull effect.' He declared that Portugal considered this extraordinary regularization imprudent, given that it imposes an 'enormous impact on other Member States.'
The topic of immigration sparked a heated debate with socialist deputy João Torres, who accused Rangel of lacking humanism. This occurred after Rangel highlighted the effect of approximately 800,000 immigrants arriving in Portugal between 2021 and early 2025, a result of a demonstration of interest during António Costa's administration.
Rangel criticized the former socialist executive, stating that it allowed people to enter without assessing whether there was capacity in health, education, or housing systems, denouncing situations of 'people living in sub-human conditions.' He reasoned that while labor is needed, it is essential that these people are in decent conditions.
For his part, Ricardo Reis, from Chega, thanked Paulo Rangel for endorsing what his party has defended for years, reinforcing that migration has a significant impact on health, education, and housing. The deputy questioned the minister whether he would defend against European partners the repatriation of these individuals, who, according to him, overload services.
In response, Paulo Rangel advised Ricardo Reis to present such allegations in a suitable format for the European Affairs committee, instead of using daily 'TikTok' on the streets. He concluded by saying that, using his experience as a teacher, he had never heard such an empty statement.