The new infrastructure adds 80 places to the previously existing 30, intended for foreign citizens subject to removal procedures. The project represents an investment of approximately 1 million euros, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).
With this new wing, Portugal now has 171 places for the temporary installation of foreign citizens, exceeding the 102 places established by European rules. The Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, stated that the opening of these facilities "allows for a better response to the challenges Portugal faces in managing migration, asylum, and return".
The new wing also ensures conditions for accommodation, hygiene, clinical assessment, security, legal support, and monitoring of individuals temporarily housed at the center. Temporary Installation Centers are not prisons, but are intended for irregular foreign citizens.
The Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, emphasized that "what we are inaugurating today is not a prison. It is a temporary installation center. Those here are not criminals. They are individuals in an irregular situation".
Works are also underway at the airports of Faro and Beja to increase response capacity in this area. The inauguration ceremony was attended by representatives from Internal Administration, Presidency, and Immigration, as well as the PSP and other entities.
