Foreign residents and illegal immigrants:os Negros em Portugal

Foreign residents are a thriving and cosmopolitan group in Portugal. Many are legally registered with the authorities, but a significant proportion enter an underground economy where white European, black African and ethnically diverse South American, search for their fortunes. It is estimated, for example, that as many as 50,000 out of the 100,000 Africans from the former colonies now found in Portugal, are illegal immigrants. This article spotlights the presence of official registrations, the recent wave of illegals, their family dependants and the impact of each of these groups on the development of Portuguese society. Evidence shows that the minority communities are in a difficult position because they are contributing to the socio‐economic development of Portugal but, at the same time, they are often viewed as inferior groups by the host population. Some of these groups are manipulated and exploited; prejudice is growing and legal status counts for little. The uneven‐ness of discriminatory practice (particularly with respect to education and housing) is discussed and the need to define the position of all illegal immigrants in Portugal and to try to assist the black sections of the migrant population in a more sympathetic manner is outlined.