Foreigners have flocked to 'welcoming' Portugal. Why is it expelling migrants now?

With its lukewarm climate, comparatively affordable surviving and affluent culture, Portugal has agelong appealed to visitors, whether it's for a abrogation oregon a much imperishable move.

The southwestern European state was a apical destination for migrants, acknowledgment to its formerly wide migration policies and what was considered a apical exemplary for integration. It was consistently ranked successful the Top 10 destination countries by the Migrant Integration Policy Institute's ranking system, which noted the benefits of Portugal's labour marketplace and citizenship model, among different inviting qualities.

And radical of each economical backgrounds person flocked to Portugal — from migrants seeking enactment and integer nomads taking vantage of an affordable location, to the sunset migration of retirees. Last year, the European Commission's section of migration and location affairs reported that much than 1 cardinal overseas citizens lived successful Portugal — the highest ever recorded successful the state — accounting for astir 10 per cent of the population.

So, the quality past Saturday that Portugal's caretaker authorities plans to expel immoderate 18,000 undocumented foreigners surviving successful the state without authorization whitethorn look similar a abrupt shift, with Prime Minister Luis Montenegro accused by critics of taking a leafage from U.S. President Donald Trump's playbook.

Montenegro didn't springiness a circumstantial crushed for the decision, but past year, erstwhile helium toughened the country's migration laws, helium said Portugal can't "have wide-open doors" and was prioritizing introduction to qualified professionals, students, those from Portuguese-speaking countries and radical seeking household reunion.

Portugal has been "sliding connected a slippery slope for the past 2 years," driven successful portion by a emergence successful lodging costs, wherever migration has go politicized and polarized by the acold right, explained Anna Triandafyllidou, the Canada Excellence Research Chair successful Migration and Integration astatine Toronto Metropolitan University.

"Portugal, dissimilar different confederate European countries, was precise welcoming successful presumption of taste and radical density. Suddenly these radical were targeted due to the fact that they were visible," Triandafyllidou told CBC News.

Still, she added, the government's plans to expel foreigners is "sort of unheard of for Portugal."

"This benignant of rounding up and deporting radical — it's precise extreme."

A 'silent' migration

Portugal is chiseled from different confederate European countries by maintaining its post-colonial ties, resulting successful a migrant colonisation that's racially mixed but with connection and taste commonalities, explained Triandafyllidou.

Most migration to Portugal has traditionally flowed from Portuguese-speaking countries, specified arsenic Brazil, Cape Verde and Angola, according to the Integral Human Development website.

In summation to that, determination has been a "silent" migration of undocumented workers from South Asian countries, lured by the accidental to get ineligible presumption successful the EU, publications specified arsenic Foreign Policy mag and Agence France Press person reported.

Under the erstwhile Socialist government, Portugal had immoderate of Europe's astir unfastened migration policies.

Until 2024, erstwhile Portugal's centre-right authorities toughened immoderate migration rules, a wide utilized mechanics called "manifestation of interest" allowed non-EU migrants without an employment declaration to determination to Portugal and petition residency aft paying societal information for a year.

Triandafyllidou noted that she's observed much of a South Asian beingness successful Lisbon, the country's superior city, peculiarly moving successful restaurants and nutrient transportation services. Foreign Policy writes that successful Lisbon: "Nepalis unit edifice kitchens and Bangladeshis tally galore of the city's effect shops."

And AFP says that, adjacent successful the astir accepted sportfishing villages adjacent Porto, "half of the crews are made up of Indonesians."

In a 2023 report, the Migration Observatory said immoderate sectors would illness without overseas workers. Still, according to the European Commission's astir caller migration barometer, 68 per cent of Portuguese citizens see migration argumentation successful Portugal to beryllium excessively permissive. 

'Affordable living' ... for some

Meanwhile, Portugal has had a fig of deliberate policies aimed astatine attracting affluent overseas investment. These see the "golden visa" programme that for years had linked residency rights to spot investments, taxation breaks offered by the authorities and the integer nomad visa for distant workers.

Last month, International Living magazine's Annual Global Retirement Index named Portugal No. 2 connected its 2025 database of apical countries to discontinue in, conscionable down Panama. The scale cited Portugal's "affordable living" repeatedly, noting that "a mates tin unrecorded comfortably" connected $3,480 to $4,200 Cdn a month.

Property income successful the Algarve, the fashionable beach-lined confederate extremity of the country, are soaring. Even the Aga Khan, considered 1 of the richest men successful the world, moved to Lisbon successful 2015, wherever helium lived until his decease successful February.

But this accomplishment of affluent foreigners besides aggravated a lodging situation rooted successful a chronic shortage of affordable housing. Rents successful Lisbon person soared 94 per cent since 2015 and location prices person risen 186 per cent, arsenic reported by Reuters.

This prices retired some locals and, especially, migrants from non-EU countries. Migration Observatory information showed 19 per cent of radical who originated from extracurricular the European Union successful Portugal unrecorded successful overcrowded accommodation compared to astir 8 per cent of Portuguese, citing that radical from countries specified arsenic Nepal and Bangladesh are peculiarly affected.

Portugal remains 1 of occidental Europe's poorest nations with the region's lowest mean wages.

"There are 2 extremes: migrants who are alleged mediocre ... and a 'rich' migration of investors, pensioners and highly qualified professionals," lodging researcher Simone Tulumello told Reuters past year.

Migration politicized

The streets successful Lisbon are often filled with marches and rallies — for affordable housing, for migrant rights and to protestation against much radical crossing borders. Last month, Portuguese riot constabulary detained respective ultra-right protesters aft groups had called a rally, which metropolis authorities banned, to protestation against increasing numbers of immigrants.

And connected May 18, the state volition person an aboriginal wide election. Montenegro called the drawback ballot successful March aft his number authorities mislaid a assurance ballot successful parliament and stood down.

In past year's election, the far-right Chega enactment surged into 3rd place. 

In his caller run platform, Chega person André Ventura has decried what helium calls "a full deficiency of power astatine our borders," penning successful Portuguese that "it is urgent to reconstruct normality to the travel of foreigners entering Portugal."

Among its migration priorities, Chega wants nationality granted lone to those who "have an effectual narration with the Portuguese state, talk the language, cognize the past and clasp the culture." And those who bash participate illegally should beryllium returned to their state of origin, Ventura adds.

"I deliberation what we're seeing successful Portugal is precise overmuch inexpensive politicization successful presumption of an election," said Triandafyllidou.

"In Europe, the fearfulness of the acold close is pushing these blimpish governments toward benignant of utmost solutions to effort to triumph the votes backmost — which doesn't happen."

'Expulsion is not a solution!'

After Montenegro's authorities announced its expulsion program past Saturday, the person of the Opposition accused him of trying to get person to the Chega party. He called the determination a "Trumpization" of Montenegro's campaign, a notation to U.S. President Donald Trump's borderline crackdowns.

In January, Ventura — who travelled to Washington for Trump's inauguration — said helium agreed with Trump's announcement that helium planned to deport millions of amerciable immigrants, adding that "safe countries person beardown borders," reported The Portugal News.

Montenegro, for his part, has denied that the expulsion bid was being accelerated by the upcoming May 18 predetermination and said it was portion of the process that began successful June past year. He besides refuted the allusion to Trump, according to the Portugal Pulse quality site.

But arsenic the expulsion orders person started going out, with immoderate 4,500 radical already notified they person 20 days until they person to leave, according to media reports, immoderate migrant associations person urged radical to "fight" and "resist."

"Expulsion is not a solution!" wrote the Solidariedade Imigrante (Immigrant Solidarity) non-profit connected its Facebook leafage past week.

"We volition ever fight! Strength, friends! Always resist!"