Portugal’s Public Security Police (PSP) is racing against the clock to expand capacity for housing irregular migrants, as required by the European Union. The deadline is 12th June, the date the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum comes into force, obliging member states to create dedicated accommodation centres.
Unable to complete construction of two new facilities in time, the plan now is to increase existing capacity by installing 80 beds in container units, an official PSP source told national newspaper Diário de Notícias.
“[The plan is] to increase the capacity of the Santo António Residential Unit (UHSA) by a further 80 beds through the installation of prefabricated modular structures,” the source said. Even so, added to the current 80-bed capacity, the figure still falls short of the EU-mandated target of 300 beds.
The expansion will take place at the Porto facility, where 29 beds already exist and are permanently occupied. The €800,000 investment (€650,000 plus VAT) will be financed from the police force’s own budget.
The move became necessary after Portugal lost funding from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). Months earlier, a protocol signing ceremony for the construction had even been held, attended by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. The €30 million in PRR funds was lost due to the “impossibility of execution within the scheduled timeframe”.
Faced with this scenario, the Government had to consider alternatives, leaving implementation to the PSP, now overseen by Luís Neves, the new Minister of Internal Administration. The force is currently preparing a public tender, though no launch date has yet been set. Will there be enough time for bureaucracy, construction and completion? “Predictably, yes,” the same official source told the newspaper.
The measure is intended as a stopgap, since Portugal will not have the announced centres built in time. The construction of two facilities, one in the north of the country and another in Lisbon, was announced on 3 June 2024 during the launch of the Migration Action Plan.
Portugal must provide at least 300 beds under EU rules. But the plan goes beyond accommodation: healthcare, legal support, mediation, food, cleaning, maintenance, site management and security, the latter the responsibility of the PSP. must also be ensured.
For security and surveillance, 65 personnel are expected to be assigned, potentially including non-PSP staff such as private security guards. The operation will also involve agreements with other bodies, as is already the case for psychology, mediation and healthcare services.
“At present, the PSP works alongside other relevant actors (AIMA, Social Security, national and foreign security forces and Frontex), as well as embassies and non-governmental organisations. Various national and international entities are also responsible for compliance verification and oversight, notably the IGAI. The PSP likewise maintains protocols with several NGOs,” the force said.
At the time of the now-defunct PRR protocol signing, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro stated that “if the state sets rules, it must enforce them”, assuring that the state would not be “complacent with non-compliance”.
The new centres, he explained, were intended both to temporarily receive foreign nationals in an irregular situation, guaranteeing “conditions of humanity and dignity”, and to function as detention and possible repatriation facilities for those failing to meet legal requirements for remaining in the country.
Portugal’s shortage of accommodation capacity for migrants awaiting removal decisions is widely acknowledged. Besides the Porto unit, the other existing facility is located at Lisbon Airport. Since taking office, the current government has repeatedly stressed the need to expand capacity, a debate reignited last summer when 38 Moroccan nationals reached the Algarve coast illegally.
Source: DN
