A group of Moroccan illegal migrants have fled their guesthouse during the night, where they had been staying under the supervision of Portugal’s Social Security authorities after reaching the maximum permitted stay in temporary accommodation centres. Their current whereabouts are unknown.
The migrants, who had arrived in Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, back in August, spent 60 days held in temporary reception centres before being transferred to a guesthouse in Northern Portugal. In total, 22 of the boat migrants were housed in the Viseu accommodation there, but by morning, only three remained.
The overnight movements caught the attention of the hostel’s night watchman, who alerted the National Republican Guard (GNR) after noticing that several members of the group had decided to leave the premises.
A GNR spokesperson confirmed to SIC that officers were dispatched to the Northern spa town of São Pedro do Sul following the alert. Despite the concern raised by their departure, the authorities emphasised that the migrants are not legally prohibited from moving freely within Portuguese territory while they await court decisions on their asylum and international protection requests.
The group is part of a larger contingent of 34 Moroccan nationals who arrived by boat in the Algarve in August. Of the 22 housed at the São Pedro do Sul youth hostel, only three remain accounted for. It is believed that the others left the area in private vehicles driven by other foreign nationals with valid driving licences.
