Portugal leads alerts for the return of immigrants in the EU

Portugal is not facing migratory pressure but ranks second in return alerts issued by EU states relative to its population. The annual migration management report from the European Commission indicates that Portugal does not fall into major categories of migratory pressure. However, between July 2025 and June 2026, it recorded a high number of return alerts, primarily targeting immigrants from Brazil, India, and Angola. The overall return rate in Europe increased from 26% to 31%, which the Commission deems still too low. By June 2026, Portugal had over 68,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection and has increased its accommodation capacity for asylum seekers. The country has also fully transposed new EU reception rules, although it still needs to operationalize its independent monitoring mechanism for fundamental rights.