The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, says that the mass deportation plan already announced by Donald Trump is not expected to have a “significant impact” on Portuguese immigrants who are illegally staying in the United States.
On Tuesday, Paulo Rangel attended a hearing at the Assembly of the Republic’s European Affairs Committee, where the PS and Bloco de Esquerda questioned him on the subject.
The minister assured that the situation would be dealt with “always in close coordination with the Regional Government of the Azores,” considering that many of these immigrants are Azoreans.
“Every year there are deportations of Portuguese citizens and all of them are treated with great care and attention by the Portuguese government,” he said, stressing that ”we are prepared for deportations.”
Trump took office on Monday as president of the United States of America (USA) and kept his election promise to deport “millions and millions” of illegal immigrants.
Donald Trump is focusing his first attention on the southern border, having announced that a state of national emergency will be declared in that area.
“Everyone who entered illegally will be detained. We will begin the process of deporting criminals,” he said.

As The Washington Post reported at the beginning of the week, Donald Trump may be planning to abolish the right to citizenship for children born in the country to illegal immigrants by signing an executive order.
However, this intention conflicts with the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which grants the right of citizenship to all people born in America.
At the same hearing Rangel was heard, PS national deputy, former Secretary of State for Communities José Luís Carneiro, and former minister said that Trump’s deportation policy could affect a universe of 3,600 Portuguese.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Secretary of State for the Communities, is always ready to resolve situations that may arise. From that point of view, frankly, there is no concern that indicates alarm. It will be done with the utmost care and diplomacy, but I don’t anticipate any crisis from that point of view,” said Rangel, speaking to RTP.
The PS has already requested that the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities, José Cesário, be heard on this issue.
“As far as the US President’s rhetoric is concerned, we have to be alert. We have many Portuguese who have gone to work and live abroad and we don’t take it lightly that they are deported and mistreated,” said Socialist Secretary General Pedro Nuno Santos.
The Regional Government has already announced that it is preparing a contingency plan for possible deportations from the USA, providing responses in areas such as Housing, Employment, and Social Support.

In Diário Insuar newspaper – José Lourenço, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES