Italian Island Overwhelmed by Surge of Migrants
The small Italian island of Lampedusa has been inundated with an enormous influx of migrants arriving by boat from the Tunisian coast. In just three days, almost 7,000 migrants have arrived on the island, surpassing its total population. The situation has sparked concern in Italy and put pressure on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to address the issue, as her promises to halt irregular migration come under criticism. Despite a new deal with Tunisia aimed at blocking migrant sailings, arrivals in Italy have doubled compared to last year’s figures.
The unprecedented surge has prompted Lampedusa to declare a state of emergency. The island, which gained recognition during the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, has seen a record-breaking number of arrivals this year. Italian coast guard ships have struggled to manage the overflow at the overwhelmed refugee facility on Lampedusa. Attempts are being made to relocate migrants to larger facilities in Sicily, but the situation is becoming increasingly unmanageable.
The surge in numbers is attributed to several factors, including poor weather that temporarily limited migrant flows. However, the main driver appears to be the increasing number of migrants coming from Tunisia, which has overtaken Libya as the largest entry point for seaborne migration into Europe. Racist attacks in Tunisia have forced sub-Saharan migrants to flee, while a rising number of Tunisian nationals and migrants crossing the Libyan border from the nearby Tunisian city of Sfax are also contributing to the surge.
Italy argues that it has borne the brunt of new arrivals alone and has criticized France and Germany for failing to honor European agreements on sharing the burden of migrant flows. France has announced plans to reinforce its border with Italy, while Germany has suspended an agreement to take in migrants from Italy. Prime Minister Meloni has acknowledged that Italy is not accepting returnees, as the country is overwhelmed. She called for a stop to the primary flows of migrants into Italy as the only solution.
Migrant advocates argue that Europe is better prepared than it admits to handle the influx of migrants, citing the successful absorption of over 5 million Ukrainians in the aftermath of the Russian invasion. While arrivals in Italy are reaching record levels, the total arrivals across the European Union remain far below the 2015 peak. However, Prime Minister Meloni faces criticism that her strategy with Tunisia has failed, and her far-right coalition partner, the League party, has suggested that her efforts have not been successful.