Interior Minister Angelino Alfano
in an interview Wednesday said most migrants now disembarking on
Italy's shores are political asylum seekers, and Europe must
give Italy a hand in processing and relocating them.
''Hundreds of thousands are in Libya waiting to get on a
boat'', Alfano told Sole 24 Ore financial paper's Radio24.
''It is of the essence that the international community set
up refugee camps as well as bilateral control over coasts and
departures''.
The minister's comments followed on news that Italian
authorities rescued some 4,000 migrants off several unseaworthy
boats in the past 48 hours.
Every year, tens of thousands of migrants arrive in Italy,
which is the first landfall for those trying to reach Europe by
boat from North Africa.
Many die while attempting the hazardous crossing in
rickety, overcrowded vessels after being charged exorbitant
prices by human traffickers.
After some 400 people drowned in two migrant-boat disasters
in October 2013, Italy set up a surveillance and rescue
operation called Mare Nostrum to prevent further deaths at sea.
''We are rescuing thousands of migrants with our ships'',
Alfano continued.
''We must speed up procedures to expel those who have no
right to stay, and to receive those who have a right to
asylum''.
Some 15,000 migrants have landed on Italy's coasts since
the beginning of the year, Alfano said.
''Most asylum seekers don't even want to stay in Italy.
Other countries must take these people in, because that's where
they wanted to go in the first place'', the minister explained.
''Europe must understand that we can't take them all in.
And the EU needs to boost our border defense system'', said
Alfano.
He went on to blast critics in the anti-immigration
Northern League, which sponsored a law making illegal
immigration a crime that was recently repealed.
''I would remind them that the migrant influx peaked in
2011, just after illegal immigration was criminalized'', the
minister said.
Also on Wednesday, the chairman of the Senate human rights
commission refuted the minister's claims that Italy is under
attack by a wave of migrants.
''This is not an invasion. We've known for a long time that
this was going to happen'', said Senator Luigi Manconi.
''We should take a serious look at ourselves and at the
reasons why we failed to take the necessary steps to receive
people we can easily take care of, without involving other
European countries''.
''Italy must do its part, and on this matter our conscience
is not as clear as it should be'', he added.
The country must put its own house in order, both in terms
of domestic policy and of international treaties it has signed
on to but doesn't always respect, the Senator pointed out.
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