A Challenging Year for AIMA

The agency’s primary goal was to separate policing duties from administrative immigration processes, aiming for a more humane approach to migration-related issues.

At the end of 2023, AIMA encountered its first major crisis as asylum seekers were left sleeping at airports due to processing delays. Critics pointed to inadequate preparation and staffing as key factors behind the agency’s inability to meet its objectives.

This abrupt policy change stirred controversy, particularly as thousands of immigrants were left in limbo. Although parliament approved a transitional period for those already meeting the contribution requirements, the fate of others—such as those with partial contributions or actively working while on tourist visas—remains unresolved.

In August, Pedro Portugal Gaspar replaced Luís Goes Pinheiro as AIMA’s president, with a mandate to clear the backlog of pending cases within a year. However, the structural inefficiencies of the system continued to create challenges.

At airports, concerns over the management of Temporary Installation Centres grew. Critics likened the conditions to detention facilities, and legal experts highlighted procedural flaws, including inadequate justifications for entry refusals and deportations occurring during ongoing legal appeals.

França also warned of an increasing securitization narrative, with migration viewed through a lens of enforcement rather than integration. This shift aligns with broader trends across Europe, where stricter border controls have become a priority.

Lawyer José Gaspar Schwalbach, representing the family of Ihor Homeniuk, criticized the transition to AIMA for creating confusion among immigrants and hampering the renewal of permits. The limited human resources transferred to AIMA were insufficient to manage the mounting workload.

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