President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva dashed the expectations of the Brazilian community in Portugal on Tuesday, April 21. During a joint statement with the Portuguese Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, in Lisbon, Lula did not comment meaningfully on the changes to immigration and nationality laws.
Networks of Brazilians in the country They were expecting a strong stance on the issue.Before the trip, Lula's secretary for Europe and North America described the matter as delicate. The diplomat had indicated that combating xenophobia would be part of the official agenda.
However, the Brazilian president limited himself to thanks and praise. He apologized for only now visiting "this man, who has already been to Brazil three times," referring to Montenegro. Lula stated that "if there is a hardworking people, it is the Brazilian people; if there is a people who like to work and who learn very easily, it is the Brazilian people."
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro provided details on the immigration situation. According to him, there was a "need for some public clarification" on the subject. The Prime Minister reported that Portugal has regularized the immigration status of more than 235.000 Brazilian immigrants in the last two years.
Montenegro stated that these citizens “today are fully compliant with regulations and have complete and full citizenship.” He explained that the government faced “400.000 pending cases” in the transition from the defunct Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) to the current migration agency.
Of this total, approximately 5.000 applications from Brazilians were rejected due to lack of requirements. According to the Prime Minister, the rejection rate was less than 5%. Lula focused his speech on the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union and the diplomatic harmony between the two countries.
The visit took place amidst protests called by the Chega party in Lisbon. Demonstrators shouted slogans such as "Lula, you thief, your place is in prison" and "Lula, listen up, we don't want you here." Posters showed the Brazilian president in prison garb and messages of "zero tolerance for corruption."
After meeting with Montenegro, Lula went to Belém Palace. The Brazilian president had meetings scheduled with the new Portuguese head of state, António José Seguro.
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