Portugal dismantles extensive illegal immigration network and makes arrests

The Portuguese police announced this Tuesday (26) that they dismantled a criminal group that was responsible for regularizing the situation of around 4 thousand immigrants illegally.

In addition, two suspected leaders of the gang were arrested. This happens amid the government's tightening of immigration rules.

Police stated that the "Terra Milagrosa" operation, carried out on Monday (25) on the outskirts of Lisbon, targeted a criminal group involved in illegal immigration, document forgery, computer fraud and money laundering.

The authorities highlighted that the illegal regularization of around 4,000 immigrants in recent years has generated hundreds of thousands of euros in illicit profits.

The Portuguese government tightened immigration rules, claiming that loopholes in the system created by the previous administration, which facilitated foreigners' access to the job market, allowed widespread abuses.

Police said the criminal group used online login credentials stolen from social security from dozens of insolvent and inactive companies to provide false employment contracts and other documents.

The investigation began in September 2023, and the main suspects - a businessman and a lawyer - are a foreign citizen and a Portuguese citizen. Police did not identify the two detainees.

Portugal, with around 10.5 million inhabitants, has seen a significant increase in immigration in recent years.

The Migration and Investment Agency estimates that more than 1.5 million foreign citizens were legally residing in the country last year, around double the number recorded three years earlier.

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Source: CNN