Africa-Press – Cape verde. Cape Verde will “always” activate extraordinary and emergency mechanisms to help and repatriate African migrants who arrive in the country, instead of creating permanent reception centers, the Minister of Inclusion, Fernando Elísio Freire, said today.
“Cape Verde is a different country, it is a country of reference and we will continue to be so ”, emphasized the government official, who was speaking to the press, in the city of Praia, on the sidelines of the 13th meeting of the National Immigration Council (CNI).
According to the Cape Verdean Minister of State, Family and Social Development, the National Emergency Fund will be activated to help African migrants who have frequently arrived in the archipelago, especially the islands of Sal and Boa Vista.
The main point on the agenda of today’s meeting was the approval of the 3rd Action Plan for Immigration 2023 – 2025, in which one of the objectives is the management of migratory flows and preventing human trafficking.
The Government’s way of acting in these cases is different from a previous suggestion by the Platform of Associations of African Communities residing in Cape Verde, for the installation of a migrant reception center.
Also speaking to journalists, the platform’s president, José Ramos Viana, insisted that the country needs to “ intensify” more means and mechanisms for receiving these people trying to cross the Atlantic from the west African coast.
“We are no longer talking about a reception center, but about a set of mechanisms that can be activated immediately in favor of the victims ”, said the association leader.
The minister said that the idea behind creating the plan is for Cape Verde to have “ regular, legal and coherent ” immigration , allowing “ full integration ” of foreigners, who represent 2.2% of the archipelago’s population, the majority of whom are from Guinea. -Bissau, Senegal, Nigeria, Portugal and China.
Extraordinary regularization, new nationality law and creation of care units are some of the many policy measures, in addition to social and economic ones, highlighted by the minister, in a country that continues “ on the route of international human trafficking ”.
But he guaranteed that these people, when they entered the country illegally, will not remain in Cape Verdean territory, they will be repatriated “ in a legal and peaceful way ”.
He also said that Cape Verde always wants to act in international coordination, namely with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), stressing that the archipelago “ cannot agree with this type of crime ”, in reference to illegal immigration networks.
When presenting the plan, the president of the High Authority for Immigration (AAI), Carmen Barros Furtando, said that around 30% of immigrants in the country feel discriminated against, with the minister calling for treatment with respect, regardless of nationality.
The president of the Platform of Associations of African Communities considered these data normal, highlighting the “very positive evolution” in the country after the extraordinary regularization of emigrants, implemented last year, with the level of immigrants in regular situation in the country being around 80%.
“We think this is positive and it is our mission to also monitor and promote a set of actions that can make the integration of immigrants in Cape Verde more flexible and easier so that they do not feel discriminated against”, highlighted José Ramos Viana.
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