César Teixeira named president of Portugal's migration agency AIMA

Leadership transition at AIMA

Portugal's Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro announced on 7 October 2026 that board administrator César Costa Teixeira will take over as president of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). The announcement occurred during a parliamentary hearing before the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees. Teixeira replaces Pedro Portugal Gaspar, who departs the agency after slightly more than two years in the role. A lawyer and municipal assembly member in Guimarães, Teixeira joined the AIMA board as an administrator in July 2024. He is the sole remaining member of the original five-person board after four departures during the preceding two years.

Leitão Amaro described the leadership transition as an evolution in continuity and praised the outgoing administration for completing initial structural reforms.

We jointly reached the conclusion that the results were very positive, but a new phase is necessary in which the priorities are different.

Shift to integration and border control

The minister stated that Portugal has concluded the first phase of its migration policy restructuring, which focused on clearing backlogs and enacting legal reforms. The final legislative component was the passage of the return law, which implements the latest diplomas under the European Union migration pact. Government figures presented at the hearing indicate that migration inflow growth decelerated by 85%, while the foreign resident population increased by roughly 50,000 between 2024 and 2025.

The upcoming second phase focuses on regular integration programs and reinforced enforcement against illegal migration. While the formal national integration plan has not yet been released, Leitão Amaro pointed to early measures, including expanding cultural mediators in Portuguese schools from an initial 300 to nearly 400. Control apparatus will be reinforced both at the external borders and through national inspection bodies, alongside expanded consular capacity.

Union demands and operational criticism

The Migration Technicians Union (STM) welcomed Teixeira's appointment but warned that a change in leadership does not fix deep institutional dysfunctions. The union staged a national strike on 6 October 2026, citing chaotic workflows, planning deficits, and widespread staff exhaustion across agency branches.

This change does not replace answers, does not erase problems, and does not resolve on its own what the union has been denouncing in recent months.

Union representatives reiterated demands for a distinct career structure for migration technicians and a remuneration supplement matching the scales of the National Republican Guard (GNR) and Public Security Police (PSP). The STM also called for clear limits on transferring permanent duties to Local Support Centres for the Integration of Migrants (CLAIM), formal training programs, and an end to precarious contracts for cultural mediators.

Parliamentary scrutiny and government reassignment

During the parliamentary hearing, opposition lawmakers questioned the government regarding the future of the outgoing leadership and pending application backlogs. Chega deputy Vanessa Barata asked whether Pedro Portugal Gaspar was being reassigned to lead the Portuguese Competition Authority. Leitão Amaro rejected the specific suggestion while confirming that Gaspar remains slated for other public responsibilities. The minister stated that the agency is currently in the final stage of resolving legacy application backlogs, with full implementation of integration initiatives scheduled for the subsequent phase.