The centre-right party’s comments were made after two Algerian men absconded from Lisbon airport last Thursday
afternoon.
According to the PSP police the incident happened as a group of five Algerians (four men and a woman) were boarding a plane bound for Algiers, and “managed to climb over the protection fence around Lisbon
airport.”
The two men were detained at a nearby train and bus station early on Friday morning and did not resist arrest.
PSP spokesman Hugo Palma said the two Algerians were detained at the Oriente station, in Lisbon at around half past midnight.
It was the latest in a string of recent similar incidents, prompting the CDS to air their views.
In a statement, the opposition party said it is “not normal” to have so many cases of foreign citizens absconding from Lisbon Airport, adding that it is a matter of national security that requires an “urgent response” from the government.
“This issue, from the point of view of national security, should be considered very serious. It is of the greatest gravity. This is the fourth incident in the last few months, it’s not normal,” said a member of parliament for the CDS-PP centre-right party Telmo Correia, speaking to journalists in parliament.
Three other similar incidents have occurred at the airport in the Portuguese capital since July 2016.
The party has called for the Minister of Internal Administration, Constança Urbano de Sousa, to be called to parliament about the issue and plans to “return to the conversation where we left off,” when the minister said that “security has been increased and the problem has been solved.”
“Is it a problem with security? Is it a network, an organisation that is causing these situations?” Correia asked.
In October 2016, the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) and the PSP prevented three passengers newly arrived at Lisbon airport from Morocco from escaping.
In September, an Algerian citizen, travelling between Algeria and Casablanca, illegally left Lisbon airport.
At the end of July, four men were detained by the PSP at Lisbon airport for violating security rules when they tried to avoid passport control by running across the airport runway.