Portugal parties criticise threats to foreigners by Government

Livre and migration workers’ union criticise the warning, raising concerns over immigrants’ constitutional right to demonstrate.

By Sidsel Senius , in News · 05 Nov 2026, 15:03 · 0 Comments

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Deputy Minister of the Presidency, Rui Armindo Freitas, stated in Parliament that foreigners who participate in demonstrations and do not comply with the law may have their residency permits revoked, Expresso reports.

During a hearing at the Assembly of the Republic, as part of the specialised review of the State Budget Proposal for 2027, Armindo Freitas explained that the Immigration Law is very clear “on matters of public safety and public order,” referring to “foreign citizens who are taking some kind of action” in demonstrations.

Several Brazilian immigrants are planning protests against the housing conditions in Lisbon and Porto.

If the rules are not followed, “naturally the competent authorities will have to do their job,” Armindo Freitas said, clarifying that return orders are not being considered.

“The consequence is the cancellation of residence permits, which may lead to the abandonment of the national territory within 20 days by all those who, not for demonstrating, but for potentially jeopardising public order,” he explained.

Concerns over constitutional rights

Although the government official repeatedly referred to the new immigration law to justify his statement, it still demonstrated “irresponsibility” and “danger” by linking the exercise of the constitutional right to protest with the potential loss of residency authorisation, according to the Union of Migration Technicians (STM).

“The message risks being perceived by migrant communities as intimidation, generating unjustified fear and conditioning the exercise of fundamental rights protected by the Constitution. We regret that, at a time when some sectors of society seek to place the burden of the lack of housing on immigrants, it is a member of the Government who establishes an unfortunate association between participation in demonstrations and the maintenance of residence permits,” said the union of employees of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA).

“The right to demonstrate is an essential pillar of the democratic rule of law. Under no circumstances should it be placed under suspicion or associated with administrative consequences that discourage civic participation. An immigrant with regularised status is subject to the laws of the country, like any citizen, but these same laws must also protect them, including in the exercise of their fundamental rights. The defence of public order and the enforcement of the law must coexist with the effective protection of fundamental freedoms, without messages that could be interpreted as conditioning their exercise,” the STM added.

The political party Livre also believes that linking demonstrations for the right to housing with the potential loss of residency permits raises serious concerns, particularly as it could discourage immigrants from participating in civic and political activities, Jornal Económico reports.

According to the party, the right to assembly and demonstration is a fundamental constitutional right granted to everyone, regardless of nationality, and participation in protests cannot, in itself, constitute grounds for the loss of a residence permit.

Nationality of protesters questioned

Since the beginning of the demonstrations about the right to housing, there has been a political discourse focusing on the nationality of the activists.

In the middle of October, the president of the CDS-PP party and Minister of National Defence, Nuno Melo, stated that he finds it “particularly curious” that, “of all, or almost all, the times” he turns on the television, he has found as spokespeople for the protesters “someone who was not born in Portugal, who spoke with a Brazilian accent or spoke with accents from other places,” Expresso reports.

According to the minister, the “so-called housing crisis” is directly caused by the “absolute lack of control over migratory flows in the country in recent years.”

Brazilians represent the largest foreign community in Portugal, with around 700,000 living in the country, Revista Fórum reports.

Priscila Valadão, who holds Portuguese citizenship and is one of the voices of the “Lisbon Encampment,” has also criticised the government’s approach, accusing it of using fear against protesters.

“The government doesn’t like protesters. It imposes a law of fear on Portuguese citizens and immigrants, offering gratuitous police repression to peaceful demonstrators,” she told Revista Fórum.