Thousands of refugees are currently arriving in Lampedusa every day. The island is overloaded. Now Italy’s Prime Minister Meloni is turning to the EU. Boats belonging to smugglers and migrants would have to be stopped – if necessary by the navy.
After the arrival of several thousand migrants on Lampedusa in recent days, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called for help from the European Union to stop people from crossing the Mediterranean. If necessary, the navy must be deployed to prevent migrant boats from leaving, she said in a video message published on Friday evening.
Meloni emphasized that she would also take tough action against the increase in arrivals – especially on the small island of Lampedusa. She also asked the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to put the issue of immigration on the agenda of the EU summit in October.
Invitation to von der Leyen
The Italian Prime Minister also addressed EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The EU politician should visit Lampedusa together with Meloni “in order to personally become aware of the seriousness of the situation in which we find ourselves,” said Meloni.
“The migratory pressure that Italy has been experiencing since the beginning of this year is unsustainable,” continued Meloni. According to the head of government, it is clear that the Mediterranean country and Europe cannot accommodate this enormous number of people. She now intends to take “extraordinary measures”.
For example, she announced that she would increase the maximum length of detention in deportation detention centers. She wants to decide on the measures at a cabinet meeting on Monday. Since October 2022, Italy has been ruled by a right-wing alliance led by the ultra-right Meloni. The politician promised to restrict migration to Italy. So far she has not been able to fulfill her election promise.
The island’s city council declared a state of emergency
Meloni is now coming under increasing pressure because several thousand migrants have reached the small island between Sicily and North Africa by boat since the beginning of the week. More than 5,000 people arrived on Tuesday alone – more than ever before on a single day. At times the initial reception center was extremely overcrowded with around 6,800 people.
Because of its proximity to the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax, Lampedusa has been one of the hotspots of migration to Europe for years. The island’s city council declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in view of the escalating situation.