Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Italy’s migrant battle: Salvini seizes on island hit by overcrowding

Italy’s migrant battle: Salvini seizes on island hit by overcrowding

Reception center on Lampedusa is 500 percent over capacity as Italy’s right fire up election campaigns.

A wave of migrant boat landings on the Italian island of Lampedusa has put local reception services under huge pressure, in a development that is being seized on by the far right ahead of elections.

Italy is holding a snap vote in September after Prime Minister Mario Draghi lost the support of his governing coalition last week.

The Italian island of Lampedusa is experiencing difficulties with overcrowding after hundreds of migrants were dropped off there over the past few days. Lampedusa, just 100 kilometers off the coast of Tunisia, is the closest port of call for migrants fleeing hardship in Africa or seeking a new life in Europe.

As of Monday, a migrant reception center on the island, intended to house 350 people, is over capacity by 500 percent, with almost 1,900 migrants. Seven boat landings on Monday morning added to crowding.

The NGO rescue vessel Sea Watch 3 carrying another 400 people is also waiting to be allocated a safe port, although a child with burns and a pregnant woman were brought on shore already.

The new emergency is likely to be a boon for Italy’s hard-right politicians as they launch their election campaigns.

Former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the League party, who is known for his hard-line stance on migrants, is looking to capitalize on the situation.

As interior minister between 2018 and 2019 Salvini closed migrant camps and ordered a crackdown on NGO migrant rescue vessels, blocking the ports.

While part of Draghi’s coalition government for the past 17 months, Salvini regularly sniped at Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese. Salvini judged her to be inadequate at tackling migration and last week appealed to Draghi for her removal before the government collapsed.

Salvini seems to have his heart set on returning to the interior ministry if the right win the election, to be held on September 25.

Salvini tweeted about migrants five times on Sunday. One tweet said there was a need to “return to defending the Italian borders after the repeated failures of Lamorgese. Who will do it? The next interior minister?” he asked his followers. “What do you think friends?”

In the meantime the deputy mayor of Lampedusa Attilio Lucia, also a League member, has asked for Salvini’s help, saying the that migrants are sleeping on mattresses on the ground and sheltering under trees for shade. Law and order are also pressed he said. “The island cannot become a giant refugee camp.”

Salvini immediately changed his schedule to visit Lampedusa next week, saying he would “bring solutions.”

At a League event in Domodossola, northern Italy, over the weekend, Salvini told supporters that the League could come first in elections. “The first proposal that the League will bring to Cabinet will be a new security decree with a commitment to zero illegal immigrants around our country. Stop boats and immediately go home,” he said.

Salvini is currently on trial for kidnapping after refusing to allow migrants to land while interior minister, but is likely to turn the trial into an opportunity to rally support. The next hearing is a week before the September 25 election.

Salvini hopes to use the issue to make up ground on his rivals in the right wing coalition Brothers of Italy party, for whom immigration is also a central issue. Leader of Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni posted several tweets about migrants accused of violent crime over the weekend.

Brothers of Italy remained in opposition during Draghi’s government and overtook the League in the polls. A poll on Monday put Brothers of Italy on 24 percent versus 13 percent for the League.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
×