Last Friday, the President of the Republic promulgated the organic diploma of the Borders and Foreigners Coordination Unit, created in the context of the extinction of the SEF and which will operate within the internal security system.
A note published on the website of the Presidency of the Republic indicates that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has declared a diploma to complete the reform of the SEF, which will be extinguished at 00:00 on Sunday.
“Given the urgency of this diploma, approved yesterday by the Council of Ministers [quinta-feira] and which should come into force immediately so that the reform of the SEF can be completed and come into force from next week. Since it is a unit for exchanging information and coordinating the actions of its components, the President of the Republic promulgated the diploma approving the organization of the Borders and Foreigners Coordination Unit”, refers to the note.
This new unit will be responsible for “coordinating the actions of security forces and services among themselves and between them and the Institute of Registers and Notaries and the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, and ensuring their respective cooperation and coordination in area of people flow.” , return and control of people at the border”.
As part of the extinction of the Foreigners and Borders Service, the powers will be transferred to seven agencies, creating a new configuration of the Portuguese border control system when the Borders and Foreigners Coordination Unit (UCFE) is created, which will operate under the authority of the Secretary General of the Border Control System. Security (SSI), Paulo Vizeu Pinheiro.
This new unit, already called “mini-SEF”, will be led by a general coordinator, whose name is not yet known, and will initially consist of SEF elements, mainly inspectors.
The SSI told Lusa that in the future, and gradually, the current elements will be replaced by others from the GNR and PSP.
This unit will also manage police databases and information systems on borders and foreigners and international police cooperation.
The SEF’s police powers will be transferred to the PSP, GNR and PJ, while administrative functions relating to foreign citizens will go to the Institute for Registration and Notary (IRN) and the new Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), that also takes office on Sunday.
The restructuring of the SEF was decided by the previous government and approved by the General Assembly of the Republic in November 2021, after being postponed twice.
Source: DN
