At least 48 illegal workers were caught by SEF control in Portugal

The Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), in collaboration with the National Guard, triggered an operation in the morning and this morning in the town of Cantanhede, aimed at detection and identification of foreign nationals in an irregular legal status in the country, and the corresponding signaling situations of hand labor illegal employment and labor exploitation, in order to fining in accordance with identified illegal situations.


The operation, directed to the sector of forestry, lasted two hours and took place in various parts of the city of Cantanhede, encompassing road checkpoints and others focused on the identification of citizens on public roads.

four dozen individuals were identified, thirty-five of them foreign nationals. Of these, almost two-thirds, twenty two, were illegal, as it was found not to be title holders or valid visa to allow the permanence in the national territory and the exercise of its professional activity.

Thirteen citizens illegally were reported to voluntary abandonment of the country, within twenty days, under penalty of not doing so, it can become established process of coercive removal by SEF. Five were notified under the same type processes already in education, finding, as with two other applications for regularization under consideration, illegal and are not allowed to engage in any gainful activity. Two people were arrested for illegal stay, as it had not complied with the notification for voluntary retirement that they had been made by the SEF in earlier time. Gifts to immediate court, was a particular installation on Temporary Installation Centre, awaiting clearance procedures, while the other was to measure duress periodic presentations, as is taught the corresponding coercive removal proceedings brought by the SEF. It was also held in compliance with judicial arrest warrant, another foreign national, returned to freedom after payment of the fine imposed by the court as an alternative to effective enforcement of imprisonment.

Were brought by the SEF fifteen administrative offense cases employers citizens detected in illegal situation, with total values ​​may fluctuate between 30,000 and 150,000 euros.

They were involved in the operation twenty-four operational.