The National Maritime Authority (AMN) and the Portuguese Navy have enhanced surveillance and control of maritime areas along the Algarve coast, the authorities announced on Saturday in a statement, after a boat carrying 38 migrants landed on Boca do Rio beach in Vila do Bispo on Friday.
This reinforcement will be carried out through both sea patrols and land operations, aiming to improve the detection and interception capabilities of such vessels.
“Following the landing of irregular migrants on August 8 on the Algarve coast, the National Maritime Authority and the Portuguese Navy immediately increased surveillance in the region through joint and coordinated planning of resources to ensure enhanced detection and interception capacity of vessels that might attempt to access national territory illegally via maritime routes,” the statement read.
The AMN and the Navy thanked the public for their cooperation and requested that any sightings of suspicious vessels or unusual movements along the Portuguese coast be reported to the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC Lisboa) or the Local Maritime Police Command.
What happened?
A boat with 38 migrants landed on Friday at Boca do Rio beach in the Vila do Bispo municipality, Faro district, the National Maritime Authority announced.
Maritime Police officers on-site found that the individuals showed signs of poor health and provided immediate assistance.
The alert was issued at 8:05 pm, and the rescue effort involved the GNR, Civil Protection of Vila do Bispo, INEM, and the volunteer firefighters of Vila do Bispo and Lagos.
What happens next?
Thirty-one migrants have been taken to the Silves Court, where they will be heard by the duty judge, while the rest, including three minors aged 12 months, eight, and 10 years, remain hospitalized.
The group is suspected of “illegal immigration via maritime routes,” having “entered the Schengen area illegally without meeting entry requirements,” according to a source from the GNR Coastal and Border Control Unit.
They are subject to a voluntary departure notification, a coercive removal process, or, ultimately, immediate conduct to the border, and they may await the decision in temporary accommodation centers.
For families with minors, the process will be “necessarily” different, as the law stipulates “the non-applicability of the entire legal framework,” explained Major Ilídio Barreiros.
“There is a rather variable range of possibilities, and it will necessarily be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We cannot assume there is a standard decision,” he continued, emphasizing that the process is “complex” and will “require a multidisciplinary approach” from all authorities.
The Vila do Bispo Municipal Council has provided a sports pavilion in Sagres, where conditions have been set up to accommodate the migrants if they need to remain under the authorities’ care during the judicial questioning process.
