The report presented and approved today at the meeting of the Conselho Superior de Segurança Interna, reveals that 387 individuals were removed, expelled, or deported to Portugal, marking an increase of 117 compared to the previous year.
The majority of these individuals originated from European countries (257), accounting for 66% of the total, while 130, representing 34%, arrived in Portugal from non-European countries.
Concerning European countries, 107 Portuguese citizens were deported from the United Kingdom, 90 from France, 17 from Belgium, 15 from the Netherlands, 13 from Germany, 10 from Luxembourg, 2 from Sweden, 2 from Turkey, and 1 from Greece.
In the cases of France and the United Kingdom, the reason for expulsion was specified in some instances. In at least 34 cases in France and 35 in the United Kingdom, the expulsion was due to criminal records related to theft, robbery, and domestic violence.
As for the 130 Portuguese expelled from non-European countries, they came from 11 nations: 38 from Canada, 50 from the United States, 20 from Venezuela, 8 from Australia, 8 from Mozambique, 1 from China, 1 from Egypt, 1 from Morocco, 1 from New Zealand, and 1 from Zimbabwe.
The report indicates that these numbers might be higher as not all foreign police forces may have consolidated last year’s data regarding the removal, expulsion, or deportation of Portuguese nationals.
Regarding Portuguese citizens serving sentences abroad, the report notes 1,449 individuals, with 47 detained just in 2024. Most are held in Europe (1,292), followed by the Americas (89), Asia (28), Africa (25), and Oceania (15).
Similar to deportation figures, the number of detainees abroad might be higher, as the available information pertains only to those who opted to notify consular services. In many countries, notification of a detainee’s country of origin is subject to the detainee’s consent.
