The Italian Cabinet announced Tuesday in a six-month state of emergency statement to deal with immigration issue After the “significant increase” in the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean, in a move aimed at improving the management of the process of receiving migrants and returning them to their countries.
Maritime and Civil Protection Minister Nilo Muzumichi said the state of emergency would be backed by an initial funding of five million euros ($5.45 million) and would last for six months. “We are not solving the problem, the solution lies only in responsible intervention on the part of the European Union,” he said.
But a government source revealed that the measure would allow the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorga Meloni to speed up repatriation procedures for those not allowed to stay in Italy, which would increase identification and deportation orders.
The Italian Coast Guard’s battle to rescue migrants stranded in the Mediterranean
On Monday, the Italian Coast Guard forces led operations to rescue two boats carrying 1,200 people, with charitable organizations joining the efforts to save lives, while data from the Ministry of the Interior indicate that regarding 31,300 immigrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of 2023 until now, up from regarding seven thousand and 900 immigrants in the period Same as last year.
“It is right that the Ministry of the Interior and institutions have special powers to address and manage a complex phenomenon that puts pressure on some southern regions,” Calabrian Governor Roberto Okioto said. Meloni urged the European Union in February to do more to stop illegal migration, while increasing prison sentences for people smugglers.
France 24/Archyde.com
