The Portuguese regime (Estado Novo) explicitly banned visas for "undesirables," including Jews and stateless persons.
In 2021, he was granted a monument in Lisbon’s National Pantheon. O CГґnsul de BordГ©us - ainda sem legenda
Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux during WWII, is the "Portuguese Wallenberg." In June 1940, defying direct orders from his government, he issued thousands of visas to refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied France. The Portuguese regime (Estado Novo) explicitly banned visas
For three days and nights, Mendes and his family signed visas nonstop. defying direct orders from his government
He was recalled to Lisbon, stripped of his diplomatic rank, and denied his pension. Legacy of Honor