Portugal toughens illegal immigrant measures

Portugal's government on Thursday approved a bill aimed at making it easier to remove illegal immigrants, the latest such measure taken by the right-wing cabinet.

The bill will now be put to a vote in parliament, where the government does not hold a majority but has so far been able to count on the far-right's support to pass other immigration control measures.

Since it took office in 2024, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro's government has introduced several measures to tighten migration policy, which under the previous Socialist government was one of the most open in Europe.


The bill passed on Thursday extends the time migrants can be held in temporary detention centres to up to 18 months, compared with 60 days at the moment.

It also reduces deadlines in removal procedures and extends re-entry bans for those expelled, among other measures.

"There must be consequences for illegality, and that implies removal, and faster removal," government spokesman Antonio Leitao Amaro said after the cabinet meeting.

"Portugal was among the European countries with the lowest removal rates," he added.