The 38 migrants who disembarked on a beach in Vila do Bispo, Algarve, last Friday, August 8, have been relocated to temporary accommodation centers, where they will remain until they leave Portugal.
After initially being housed in a pavilion in Sagres, which the local authorities stated “did not meet the necessary conditions,” accusing the government of a lack of response, the Public Security Police (PSP) disclosed today, Thursday, August 14, that the “installation and accommodation procedures” were completed by 9:30 PM yesterday, Wednesday, August 13.
“Following the decision of the competent judiciary authority and up to the present, the PSP, in close coordination with the various entities involved in this occurrence, has carried out several measures within its competence as outlined in the National Contingency Plan for Borders and Return, ensuring the judiciary decision and all humane and dignified accommodation conditions for the rescued migrants,” reads the statement sent to newsrooms by this security force.
Thus, 14 of the rescued migrants were accommodated at the Temporary Installation Center (CIT) in Porto, specifically at the Santo António Housing Unit, 15 were placed in a facility equivalent to a Temporary Installation Center (EECIT) in Faro, and nine in a facility equivalent to a Temporary Installation Center (EECIT) in Porto.
The PSP also highlighted that “all actions taken resulted from a collaborative effort involving different forces and services, demonstrating the reaction and coordination capacity of the various entities involved in this situation, including logistical support provided by the Army to the PSP.”
5-day Journey from Morocco. Four Dead
The incident dates back to Friday, August 8. A group of 38 migrants landed on Boca do Rio Beach, in the Vila Nova do Bispo municipality, after sailing up the Portuguese coast unnoticed.
The account comes from Paulo Lourenço, an entrepreneur who witnessed the migrants disembarking in the Algarve. The court decided to place these individuals in a temporary installation center until the return process to their country is completed, which may be carried out voluntarily or coercively.
The journey from Morocco is said to have lasted five days, and during the trip, four individuals reportedly died, as a migrant recounted to an entrepreneur who witnessed their arrival in a wooden boat in the Algarve.
The group, consisting of 25 men, six women, and seven minors, ranging from 12 months to 44 years, will now be monitored by authorities until their voluntary departure or expulsion from the country, a measure which includes the accompanied minors.
All the rescued individuals are Moroccans and entered the Schengen area illegally.
140 Migrants Landed on Algarve Coast Over 6 Years
It’s known that at least 140 migrants have landed on the Algarve coast over the last six years, according to a count made by Lusa from news reports published since 2019.
The first case of a boat with migrants on the Portuguese coast occurred nearly two decades ago, in December 2007: a group of 19 migrants allegedly from Morocco landed in Ria Formosa, near Olhão.
2019 and 2020 were the years when most migrants arrived by boat in the Algarve.
Most of the migrants arriving in the Algarve over the past six years were identified and ordered expelled, but there were also reported instances of escapes, such as the group that managed to flee from the Tavira barracks.
In 2020, then-Minister of Internal Administration, Eduardo Cabrita, stated it was premature to speak of a new migration route to Portugal, compared to the “tens of thousands of arrivals in Spain,” particularly in the south, with boats crossing from Morocco.
