The choice of Luís Neves for Internal Administration is, first and foremost, a gesture of political intelligence on the part of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. Not only because the former National Director of the Judiciary Police (PJ) knows the most sensitive dossiers in the State like few others, but because his appointment breaks with a trend followed by the Government in the last two years: the temptation to follow, almost by osmosis, the security rhetoric that has marked Chega’s speech, especially in matters of immigration. Luís Neves’ entry into the Government is, therefore, more than a technical option. It signals a change in direction and, also, a redoubled focus on effectiveness and ability to achieve.
In this regard, it is worth remembering a moment that Luís Neves starred in, at the 160th anniversary conference of Diário de Notícias, in 2025. At the time, the then National Director of the PJ defended, with the serenity of someone who speaks based on facts, that there is no cause and effect relationship between the increase in immigration and the rise in crime. The PJ leader’s intervention at the DN conference was applauded and went viral, because it directly contradicted the narrative that was gaining ground in the public debate. Today, this same stance is being called to the center of internal security policy.
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