“With the support of the police authorities, we realised that there was no proper licence for housing, let alone for the number of people who, according to reports from the neighbourhood, may be in the dozens,” said the Mayor of Porto, Pedro Duarte, as he accompanied the sealing of two floors in a building on Rua dos Clérigos, where a convenience store operates on the ground floor.

A source from the Foreigners and Border Control Unit of the Porto Metropolitan Police Command said that 19 rooms had been set up on two floors, each housing two people.

Each immigrant paid €250 per month per bed, and it is estimated that around 50 immigrants of Nepalese, Bangladeshi, and Indian nationality had stayed there.

We wanted to witness this initiative by the City Council’s Inspection Department, in conjunction with the Municipal Police and with the support of the PSP, because it is a concern. We are closely monitoring phenomena that we know also exist in the city of Porto, such as overcrowding, many cases associated with the exploitation of human dignity. These are people who are living in conditions that are not dignified, not healthy and without the proper licences," described Pedro Duarte.

At around 8:30am, on 20 January, there were no longer any people or beds on the sealed-off floors, although some bags and personal belongings remained visible.

This illegal accommodation was sealed off after several complaints about “people coming and going during the night” at a commercial establishment located on the floor opposite the Clérigos Tower.