“In the Portuguese community, I say that it will not have much impact", because "in the Portuguese community, compared to other Latin American countries, we are few", the advisor told Lusa.

Manuel Bettencourt indicated that, so far, he has received “absolutely nothing” in terms of requests for information or potential help in relation to the mass deportation process announced by Trump.

The advisor highlighted that the number of Portuguese people residing illegally in California is low and that Portuguese immigration to the United States has decreased over the last few decades.

“When I emigrated 50 years ago, there were ten thousand, eleven thousand of us who came to the United States,” while “last year less than a thousand people came to the United States,” he recalled.

In the latest report from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), responsible for detaining and deporting foreigners considered harmful to the security of American communities or violating immigration laws and ensuring investigations linked to national security, it is reported that 69 Portuguese were repatriated in 2024, a slight increase compared to 2023 (nine more).

But these are very small numbers compared to the objectives of the new Trump administration, which is talking about deporting millions of undocumented people in the country.

This is a scenario that Manuel Bettencourt considers difficult to carry out, due to the logistical magnitude. “In my opinion, that will not happen,” he said, considering that the target will be placed mainly on those who commit crimes.

On the other hand, he pointed out that in California there is a great need for labour for agriculture and it is difficult to hire Americans, which makes it necessary to use immigrants.

Bettencourt gave the example of Portuguese businessman Manuel Eduardo Vieira, known as the “sweet potato king”, who employs more than a thousand people in his facilities and does not know how many may be in an illegal situation.

“There are very few Portuguese people there. The majority are from Latin America,” the counselor stressed.

With a large Portuguese community from the Azores in California and other parts of the United States, the regional government is “in coordination” with the Government of the Republic, to deal with possible deportations of Portuguese people in an irregular situation, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel.

Bettencourt said she knew of few cases of deportations of Portuguese nationals during Trump's first administration, noting that they were mainly on the East Coast.

On this side of the country, where Francisco Ferreira serves as a community advisor in Washington, D.C., there is more concern. “I have been a critic from the beginning,” the advisor told Lusa, considering that the new President “has no respect for the Constitution”.

One of the executive orders regarding immigrants is an attempt to end birthright citizenship, a right that is safeguarded by the 14th Amendment.

“I don’t mind the debate, but he is approaching it from a discriminatory and xenophobic perspective,” said the community advisor.

Ferreira asked the Portuguese Government for clarification and says that, so far, it does not seem to him that the issue is being taken “with the seriousness it deserves”.

There are officially 1,454,262 people of Portuguese origin residing in the United States, according to the 2020 Census.