Six migrants who arrived on the coast of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, on Friday in a wooden boat appeared this morning in Lagos Court.
These six individuals include a couple, two men, and three minors, who will learn today whether they can stay in Portugal or will be forced to leave the country.
The three minors benefit from a special legal regime concerning this situation.
These individuals are part of a group of 38 migrants who arrived in Portugal by boat. Thirty-one of them appeared in court on Saturday. After these six, only a man who remains hospitalized with kidney problems needs to be heard.
Migrants to be Removed from Portuguese Territory
On Saturday, the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, stated that the migrants would be removed from Portuguese territory.
He emphasized that there was a detection and interception, the individuals were identified by authorities and taken to places where they could be cared for, and all this work was completed quickly, as they appeared before judges within less than 24 hours and the judge made a decision.
Leitão Amaro said that the individuals would remain under the custody of the authorities and detained in a temporary installation center or equivalent facility until they are removed from the national territory.
The court ordered the migrants to be placed in a temporary installation center until the return process to their country is completed, either voluntarily or forcibly.
Arrival in Portugal
A boat landed on the Boca do Rio beach, in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, on Friday. Onboard were 25 men, six women, and seven minors, aged between 12 months and 44 years. All are Moroccan and entered the Schengen area illegally.
Upon reaching land, the migrants waited for the authorities, showing no intention to flee. “They reached the beach’s parking lot, sat down, and waited for help,” a local businessman reported.
The migrants were accommodated in a pavilion where they could bathe and have been provided with meals.
The process of forced removal has a legal timeframe of 60 days, which will begin under the responsibility of the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) until August 21.
If the removal processes are not concluded, the case will then be transferred to the Public Security Police (PSP), which will assume new administrative powers concerning the return and removal.
