Thirteen Moroccan migrants wanted by Portugal police

Portuguese authorities are looking for 13 Moroccans who arrived by boat illegally in the Algarve on Monday. According to Portugal Resident, the migrants were part of a larger group of 16 people, three of whom were arrested on the same day by police in Vila Real de Santo António.

Their boat was found Monday morning at a beach in this municipality with «some supplies inside» as well as fuel. According to the tabloid Correio da Manhã, the maritime police initially believed that the boat had been used by drug traffickers before later finding that it was a boat used for irregular migration.

Three of the migrants were found a few hours later in Vila Real de Santo António. SEF Border Police and PJ Criminal Police investigate and attempt to locate the remaining migrants.

Portugal Resident recalls that this is the seventh boat to arrive from North Africa since December 2019. Of the 98 people who arrived, 66 applied for asylum, but only nine - including two minors - got it.

«Fewer than 100 people have arrived. I know they had a lot of media exposure, but they are fewer than 100, which does not allow us to know if this is a new migratory pattern. We do not even have the data to understand if they wanted to come to Portugal or head to other countries from Portugal. More than half requested asylum», Portugal’s Secretary of State for Integration and Migrations, Cláudia Pereira.