Italy is currently facing challenges in accommodating arrivals from North Africa and the Balkans, leading to the country’s Red Cross calling for more international efforts to address the migration situation. Over the weekend, more than 4,200 people arrived on Lampedusa island, which is Italy’s southernmost outpost, according to the local police chief Emanuele Ricifari. Despite the high number of arrivals, the authorities claim to have control over the situation.
In the city of Trieste, located near the border with Slovenia, Mayor Roberto Dipiazza expressed his concerns about an unprecedented “invasion of migrants” in an interview with Corriere della Sera. He stated that he had been dealing with migrant-related issues since the 1990s but had not anticipated a situation of this magnitude. Dipiazza described the city as being in a state of emergency.
This year, Italy has recorded over 107,500 sea arrivals, a significant increase compared to around 53,000 during the same period last year. The rise in numbers can be attributed in part to the growing number of unaccompanied minors undertaking the dangerous sea journey to Italy, with over 12,000 minors arriving since January 1st.
In Lampedusa, incoming sea migrants are housed in a “hotspot” which has an official capacity of a few hundred places before they are transferred to the larger island of Sicily. However, reports indicate that the facility is routinely overcrowded, with approximately 3,600 migrants currently being accommodated there.
The Italian Red Cross (CRI) took over the management of the facility on June 1st, replacing a cooperative that had faced criticism for inadequate care. CRI President Rosario Valastro called for a new approach to migrant reception and migration policies on Facebook. He expressed hope that Italy, as well as the European and international community, would effectively respond to the situation and avoid chaos.
To combat human smuggling, the Italian government has pledged to take action against smugglers and has placed restrictions on the operations of charity rescue ships, resulting in the impounding of three vessels last week. However, considering the country’s shrinking population and labor force shortages, Italy has also increased its entry quotas for non-EU migrant workers from around 83,000 in 2022 to 452,000 for the period of 2023-2025.
Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Gavin Jones and Alex Richardson.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
