Lisbon, Aug. 26, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese PSP police unit for foreigners and borders (UNEF) screened 20 million people in its first year of operation, the organisation announced on Wednesday.
«Between 21 August 2025 and 20 August 2026, the PSP screened 19,749,328 citizens at its air border checkpoints, making 428 arrests, notably for document fraud and following the detection of precautionary measures, including national and international arrest warrants, amongst other situations,» the police force stated in a review of UNEF's activities requested by Agência Lusa.
The Public Security Police (PSP) also highlighted the resources deployed for «airport security and border control», which «constituted one of the main operational challenges of this first year» and involved a total of 1,504 officers.
Most of the police officers were deployed in Lisbon (706), followed by Porto (325), Faro (215), the Azores (124), Madeira (115) and Beja (19).
Queues and delays at airport security checks, particularly in Lisbon and Porto, have been among the criticisms levelled at the UNEF's performance, and the PSP acknowledged in its response to Lusa that «the implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES) also posed a significant challenge in this first year, with the system currently undergoing continuous implementation and refinement».
The PSP «continuously monitors the operation of air border checkpoints, whilst seeking to ensure the effectiveness of border controls, the security of external borders and the proper management of high passenger flows», it added.
In its review of the UNEF's activities, the PSP considers that the unit «represented a period of high operational demands and the consolidation of expertise in an area of particular relevance to internal security and to the fulfilment of Portugal's international obligations».
The PSP reaffirmed «its commitment to effective and rigorous border management, and to combating illegal immigration, document fraud and cross-border crime», promising to continue «investing in operational capacity, the specialisation of its officers and national and international cooperation».
The UNEF began operations on 21 August 2025 and has as its main objectives border control and the monitoring of immigrants, functions which previously fell to the now-defunct Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF).
«There is no doubt whatsoever that it was a very turbulent year, all the more so as it was the year in which the new border control system was fully implemented, bringing additional constraints to a role that the PSP itself was still getting to know, developing and learning. All of this created challenges», the head of the National Union of Police Officers told Lusa on 21 August.
Bruno Pereira considered that the PSP «made immense sacrifices», with the national leadership having taken «strategic decisions to ensure a more robust response», and that some problems «were overcome by increasing the size of the border area [in airports] and reinforcing the force with almost 400 police officers».
Following the abolition of the SEF more than two years ago, some of this service's responsibilities – notably the control of air borders – were transferred to the PSP, which has expanded its remit since 21 August last year with the creation of the UNEF.
In addition to airport security and border control – which includes the Temporary Accommodation Centre (CIT) for foreign nationals in Porto (Santo António Accommodation Unit) and the facilities equivalent to CITs at Lisbon, Porto and Faro airports – the UNEF is also responsible for the removal, readmission and return of undocumented migrants, tasks which had previously been assigned to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA).
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