Random border checks identify 17 people ‘without documentation’

Day Portugal resumes border controls sees woman fly in from Africa with 11 children

Since ‘random border controls’ resumed ahead of World Youth Day – starting in little over one week’s time – at least 17 people have been detected trying to enter Portugal without (the correct) documentation.

Among them was a ‘foreign woman’ who flew in from Guinea Bissau last night accompanied by 11 children.

A statement released by SEF foreigners and borders agency has explained: “the female suspect was travelling with 11 children, alleging she was the mother of one of them, for whom she presented border guards with a document which belonged to her real daughter, with whom the child presented physiognomic similarities”.

The woman was thus arrested, with 10 of the children “being delivered in safety to family members” who are in Portugal.

The 11th child, travelling on this spurious travel document, has been taken into a care facility, while the woman will be appearing before magistrates on Monday, cited for “strong indications of the practice of human trafficking”, illegal immigration and the (mis) use of a foreign document.

Otherwise, temporary border controls monitored 2,982 people entering Portugal by road, and 74,341 coming in as passengers on 463 flights – the majority from non-Schengen countries, reports CNN Portugal.

Including the foreign woman from Guinea Bissau, two arrests were made yesterday: one of a person flying into the country through Faro airport.

Of the 17 people stopped from entering the country, 15 were detected at land border crossing, two at airports, adds CNN.

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Portugal Resident