Help Tackle "Increasing Immigration Crisis": Italy Tells European Commission

by Benson Agoha

Italy today raised alarm on increasing immigration crisis and called on the European Commission to help in tackling it.

Authorities raised the alarm after the Italian Navy and Coast Guards reportedly intercepted as much as 4,000 migrants in just 48 hours.

Italian Interior Minister, Angelino Alfano said Italy faced serious immigration problems having saved "more than 14.500 migrants attempting to cross the mediterranean since October, 2013" according to media reports.

The Interior Minister said "Italy spends around nine million euros (12.4 million U.S. dollars) every month to rescue migrants," adding "we don't know how long we will be able to bear these costs".

He said the European Union cannot turn away from the issue because "it is unthinkable for one country alone to face this situation."

The Italian authoritities said of the estimated 4,000 recent arrivals, around 1,500 were rescued in the Strait of Sicily alone during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday by three military ships and a coast guard vessel, with the help of a merchant ship.

1,049 people were rescued by the navy between Monday and Tuesday and brought to the southern port of Augusta in Sicily, and another another 261 people were found aboard an overcrowded barge at dawn on Wednesday.

 

Two merchant ships were engaged in the rescue of two boats with 300 and 361 migrants aboard respectively later during the day, he said, adding "Immigration will be a top priority of the semester of Italian presidency of the EU."

 

Authorities estimates that over 400,000 people from Syria, Palestine, Ethiopia, and Eritrea usually set off from illegal camps controlled by human traffickers in Libya and head for Italy and with weather improving into the summer, they expect the trend to continue.

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