According to information released to Lusa by the PSP National Directorate, the asylum applications filed by the 33 migrants will be assessed by the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), and "the forced removal process is suspended" until a decision is made.

On August 9, the on-call judge at the Silves Court ordered the forced removal and the transfer of the migrants to temporary accommodation centres. If the migrants do not express an intention to return voluntarily, forced removal has a legal time limit of 60 days.

To date, in addition to the 33 asylum requests, "none [of the migrants] have expressed a desire to return to their country of origin," explained the PSP. In the case of voluntary return, the period can be up to 20 days, and has now ended.

In the information sent to Lusa, the PSP also stated that "only four of the 38 citizens had or subsequently presented any identification documents" and that the identification process is still ongoing at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Portugal, but that, "taking into account their own statements, everything points to them all being Moroccan nationals."

The group of 38 people—composed of 25 men, six women, and seven minors—arrived at Boca do Rio beach, in the parish of Burgau, in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in a wooden boat at 8:05pm on August 8.

Until they were transferred to temporary accommodation centres and similar facilities, the migrants, some of whom were hospitalised, were housed in a sports hall in Sagres provided by the Civil Protection Service of the Vila do Bispo City Council.

According to information provided at the time by the PSP, 14 people were then placed in the Porto Temporary Accommodation Center (Santo António Housing Unit), 15 in the Temporary Accommodation Center (EECIT) in Faro, and nine in the Porto EECIT.

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