On May 1 — International Workers Day — hundreds of migrants marched through Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, holding handmade signs that read, “Documentos para todos”, or “Documents for all.”
Then, just two days later, the Portuguese government announced a deportation drive that could see many of those workers forcibly expelled.
António Leitão Amaro, minister for the presidency, said 4,574 individuals were notified that they need to produce proof of a valid work visa within 20 days or return to their home countries voluntarily. If they don’t, they’ll face potential deportation.
According to the minister, up to 18,000 people could be affected by the measure. But migrant rights campaigners say the announcement is a political maneuver by the center-right government just to try and win over voters, especially those who are drifting toward the far right ahead of the general election on May 18.
Anabela Rodrigues, a spokesperson for the migrant support group, Solidariedade Imigrante, or Immigrant Solidarity association, in Lisbon, said the announcement has left many foreigners shaken.
“The measure has put fear in the population. The message they’re sending is that we [the government] will be tough on migrants, but the reality is that many will remain here and be more vulnerable to exploitation from employers.”
The government said those receiving letters had already had their applications for residency rejected due to noncompliance with the rules. But Rodrigues said obtaining a work visa or legal residency has become increasingly difficult in Portugal. Last June, the government scrapped a key visa pathway known as the “manifestation of interest.”
Under the old system, non-EU nationals could enter the country on a tourist visa and, after a year of paying into the social security system, apply for residency. The end of that mechanism means migrants must now have an employment contract before moving to the country. But some migrant workers who have already been living and working in Portugal said they have been waiting years for visa appointments.
The uncertainty has created a shadow economy around immigration paperwork, Rodrigues said: “It’s become like a mafia operation.”
Because migrants don’t have direct access to the appropriate agencies, they often pay an agent to organize appointments and secure the correct documentation. Rodrigues said she knows of people who have paid close to 10,000 euros, or just over $11,000, to try and enter Portugal on the correct visa.
On Tuesday, Portuguese police arrested 13 people alleged to have accepted bribes from an estimated 10,000 foreigners in exchange for residence permits allowing them to stay in Portugal and the European Union. Among those detained was a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Portuguese authorities, 1.6 million foreign residents were living in Portugal in 2024, making up about 15% of the population. The largest migrant community is Brazilian. Digital nomads — often the focus of Portugal’s recent push to attract foreign investment — make up less than 1%. The vast majority of those receiving deportation notices this past week, however, are from the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan and Bangladesh.
This is the third time in a little over three years that Portugal is heading to the polls. The latest opinion polls show the governing center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) remains in the lead, though it looks set to fall short of an overall majority in parliament. The far-right Chega party, which is calling for even tougher migration rules, is currently polling in third place.
Marco Lisi, associate professor in the Political Studies Department at Nova University in Lisbon, said parties across the political spectrum have adopted immigration as a campaign issue.
“In my view, the specific time that the government chose to make this announcement has to do with the election campaign and the attempt to gain more votes from the right-wing electorate and away from the far-right party,” Lisi said.
The far-right Chega party regularly tries to link immigration with crime, which has created a perception among some Portuguese that immigration is a problem.
“But there is no evidence of this association, at least that we know of, according to reports from the police and the state,” he said.
Cláudia Pereira, executive coordinator of the Emigration Observatory (OEm) Portugal, said that few politicians are willing to acknowledge what Portugal actually gains from its foreign workforce.
“Most of these workers contribute to the social security system,” she said. “In 2023 alone, migrants contributed around 2 billion euros [around $2.3 billion]. And yet, now, they are being threatened with deportation.”
Pereira also noted a contradiction in government messaging. Many companies urgently need workers. But now, they can’t legally hire the people who are already here and willing to work, she said.
Migrants are being told to produce the necessary documentation within 20 days, but because of backlogs in the current system, that’s just not possible, she explained.
Now, a mass protest against the deportation drive is being organized by the migrant rights group Solidariedade Imigrante for May 16 — just two days before the national vote.