The Republican National Guard has ordered a farm owner in Bombarral to immediately rehouse 31 foreign seasonal workers after finding them living in an agricultural pavilion with no basic health or living conditions.
Military officers discovered the situation on Thursday during a targeted inspection operation aimed at checking the legal status and living conditions of foreign citizens in Portugal.
Police formally notified the farm owner to carry out an immediate relocation within a maximum of 24 hours. The new quarters must be suitable and meet all required public health and sanitation standards.
Immigration Violations and Legal Notices
Inspectors carried out the raid in Bombarral due to the high volume of seasonal labor brought to the municipality during harvest season, particularly for fruit picking. Alongside checking legal stay documentation, officers evaluated habitability, public health, sanitation, and human dignity.
Officers found 31 foreign citizens housed inside the agricultural pavilion without minimal living conditions. The inspection led to multiple regulatory actions against individuals residing at the site.
Police issued four administrative offence notices to workers for overstaying their legal period of stay in Portugal. Another four workers received formal notices requiring them to voluntarily leave national territory.
A ninth worker was ordered to report to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum to regularise their residency status in the country.
Environmental Breaches and Multi-Agency Support
In addition to housing and immigration violations, officers documented environmental infractions on the farm. Authorities registered an administrative offence notice after discovering degraded wastewater being dumped directly into the public rainwater collector on the street.
The operation was led by the Leiria Territorial Command of the Republican National Guard. It received operational support from the Leiria Intervention Detachment and the Coastal and Border Control Unit.
Several local institutions collaborated in the action, including teams from civil protection, social action services, the local health authority, and environmental protection bodies.
Background on Regional Harvests and Institutions
Bombarral is a municipality situated in the Leiria district of central western Portugal. The area relies heavily on migrant workers during the summer and early autumn harvest periods, when local farms gather fruit crops such as the region's famous Rocha pear.
The Republican National Guard (GNR) is Portugal's national gendarmerie force, charged with rural policing, environmental enforcement, and border monitoring. Its Coastal and Border Control Unit oversees entry points and rural inspections across the country.
The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) is the Portuguese state department responsible for processing residence permits, administrative immigration files, and international protection applications.
