New information from GNR police informs that the migrants – 25 men, six women and seven minors – who arrived by boat in Boca do Rio last night are all Moroccan.
The majority of the 38 have already been presented to Silves court, where they will be heard by a judge.
The remaining five – three children (one a baby, the others aged 8 and 10) and their parents – are currently at Portimão Hospital, where the children are being ‘observed’ and treated for heat exhaustion/ dehydration, etc.
Talking to reporters today, Major Ilídio Barreiros of the GNR’s unit of coastal and frontier control said that the group appears to have been at sea for some days, and exposed to “adverse meteorological conditions over a considerable period”.
All 38 are suspected of “illegal entry via sea” as they “entered Schengen space illegally, without complying with entry requirements”. Most will thus be subjected to a voluntary abandonment notice, forced removal proceedings, or, ultimately, immediate transfer to the border, where they may await a decision in temporary accommodation centers.
This will not happen however to the family of five.
Major Barreiros explained that in the case of families with minors, the process will “necessarily” be different, because the law provides for “the non-applicability of the entire legal framework.”
“There is a very variable spectrum of possibilities, and it will necessarily be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We cannot assume there is a standard decision,” he said, adding that the process is “complex” and will “require a multidisciplinary approach” from all authorities involved.
Vila do Bispo town council has meantime made the Sagres’ sports pavilion available to receive the migrants should they remain in Algarve authority jurisdiction during their judicial questioning. ND
Source material: CNN Portugal
