Number of refugees abandoning Portugal doubles in two months

Over the past two months the number of refugees taken in by Portugal and who have left the country, has doubled. Of the 1,255 refugees taken in under the EU quota programme, 474 have already left the institutions that accommodated them.

The majority of the refugees, who are mostly Syrian, are on the run, although 147 have been located, some even arrested, in other countries such as Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden and Holland and sent back to Portugal, which foots the bills for their return.

The remaining 326 are still at large.

These figures were published by newspaper Diário de Notícias (DN), which reveals the migrants’ movements after arriving in Portugal, known as secondary movements, have been debated by the Anti-Terrorism Coordination Unit (UCAT), which agglomerates the country’s main police and secret services.

