PSP's foreigners unit rejected criticism of "immigrant hunting": There are 52 thousand checks in the first year's balance sheet

Unidade Nacional de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (UNEF), within the PSP in Portugal, which oversees the legal status of foreigners in the country, is of the opinion that its activities are not a "migrant hunt" targeting certain nationalities or immigrant communities.

The statements of the UNEF management brought the ongoing debates about the scope of immigration controls and the limits of the new police structure in Portugal to the agenda again.

However, the numbers must be read correctly.

According to PSP's first annual balance sheet, UNEF checked 52,421 foreign citizens in 5,397 inspection operations between 21 August 2025 and 31 July 2026.

As a result of these controls, 1,117 cases of irregular stay were detected. This corresponds to approximately 2.1 percent of those checked.

Voluntary withdrawal notice to 831 people

As a result of the inspections:

831 people were notified to leave Portugal voluntarily,

285 people were detained due to irregular stay,

One person was detained on the grounds that he did not comply with the ban on entering the country.

These figures are important because they do not match the much higher numbers of “voluntary notice of departure” reported on social media or in some news summaries.

The number in PSP's confirmed first year balance sheet is 831 notifications.

Voluntary return and notice of departure are not the same thing

The two concepts should not be confused.

Notifying a person to leave Portugal does not mean that the person has actually left the country. It's not coming.

According to PSP data, 1,732 voluntary returns were made during the UNEF period.

In addition, 221 forced returns were implemented and hundreds of forced removal files were opened.

Therefore, “831 notifications” and “1,732 voluntary returns” are two different statistics.

What exactly does UNEF do?

After the closure of SEF in 2023, foreigners and border management duties were distributed to different institutions.

While AIMA mainly handled residence, immigration and administrative procedures, a significant part of the air border controls were transferred to PSP.

With the involvement of UNEF in August 2025, the role of PSP expanded further.

New structure:

air border controls,

Inspections regarding the legal stay of foreigners in the country,

return and readmission procedures,

forced removal processes

It has become one of the basic security units that carry out

Why did the "immigrant hunting" debate arise?

One of the main debates since the establishment of UNEF is the criteria by which foreigners are checked on the street or in workplaces.

The police administration argues that the inspections are not carried out randomly based on the person's appearance or nationality, but that the operations are carried out within the framework of risk analysis, information and specific control needs.

Here's the critical legal distinction for PTNewsHub readers:

In Portugal, being a foreigner or the fact that the police ask for documents does not alone mean that a person is in an irregular situation.

first year Figures also show that approximately 98 percent of more than 52 thousand people checked were not found to have irregular stays.

Important distinction for those whose session process continues

The situation for people who have an ongoing application, renewal process or other legal procedure with AIMA in Portugal is not uniform.

Next to the passport:

valid residence card,

AIMA application or renewal certificate,

official evidence that the process is ongoing

It may be important in evaluating the legal status of a person.

Therefore, a simple conclusion such as “card expired = automatically illegal presence in the country” may not be correct in every case.

Likewise, finding that a person is in an irregular situation does not necessarily mean that he will be immediately deported. Notification, voluntary return, objection and forced removal processes are different legal stages.

What does the first year show?

UNEF's first year shows two different facts.

First, Portugal brought immigration control back into a stronger police structure.

Secondly, no irregular stay was detected in the vast majority of foreigners inspected.

Therefore, in the coming period, the discussion will only be about "how many people were controlled?" It is carried out not on the basis of the legal criteria on which the checks are carried out, who is detained and what safeguards are applied in the restraining orders. is expected.

Resources

Correio da Manhã / Lusa — UNEF first year operating balance sheet, August 2026

https://www.cmjornal.pt/cm-ao-minuto/detalhe/psp-detetou-1-117-casos-de-imigrantes-irregulares-entre-52-mil-fiscalizados

RTP / Lusa — UNEF's establishment, mandate and border control structure

https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/unidade-de-estrangeiros-e-fronteiras-da-psp-entra-em-vigor-5o-feira-com-1200-policias_n1678003

Postal / Lusa — 26 August 2026 — Results of UNEF checks on 52,421 foreigners

https://postal.pt/nacional/psp-detetou-1-117-casos-imigrantes-irregulares-entre-mais-de-52-mil-estrangeiros/