Italy Passes Tougher Measures to Deter Migrant Arrivals

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Facts

• On Monday, the Italian government passed stricter measures to crack down on immigration after about 10K migrants reached the southern Italian island of Lampedusa last week.¹
• The detention period for migrants awaiting an asylum decision has been raised from three to six months, with a possible extension of up to 18 months. The government also approved setting up more detention centers in remote areas.²
• PM Giorgia Meloni claims the move provides Rome with the time needed 'not just to do the necessary checks but also to proceed with the repatriation for those without the right to international protection.'³
• This comes a day after visiting European Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen offered a 10-point 'action plan' to help Italy deal with the migrant crisis, saying, 'Irregular migration is a European challenge and it needs a European answer.'⁴
• Leyen's action plan includes sending the European Union Asylum Agency and the European Border and Coast Guard to Italy to manage new arrivals.⁵
• So far this year, more than 128K migrants have arrived in Italy, about twice as many as in the same period in 2022.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Voa, ³Politico, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵Dw.com and ⁶Ft.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Le monde.fr. Before her election win, far-right Meloni had announced plans to close Italy's borders and echoed anti-EU rhetoric. Now, she is open to a pan-European solution to stop the influx of illegal migrants. The EU urgently needs a coordinated immigration policy, as the migrant crisis is an opportunity to strengthen the EU and demonstrate joint capacity to act. This would send an important signal before the 2024 European elections to forces that have already written off the EU.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Infomigrants. The EU likes to talk about standing up for freedom and human rights. In its dealings with migrants, however, it reveals yet again that this is nothing more than empty rhetoric and pure hypocrisy. The most recent example is the memorandum of understanding between the EU and autocratic Tunisia to prevent migrants from reaching Europe. One is reminded of the refugee pact with Turkey or the EU's collusion with Libyan militias to contain migrant arrivals. Neither Leyen nor Meloni seem to have a problem with that.
• Narrative C, as provided by Www.euractiv.com. Although Leyen tried to signal solidarity and unity, her visit to Lampedusa highlighted the disagreement between Brussels and Rome on how to deal with the migrant crisis. While Leyen stressed the need for legal routes and humanitarian corridors to combat traffickers, Meloni wants to block departures while speeding up repatriations. Whether Meloni's vision of a 'Fortress Europe' materializes will be a stress test for the supposed European unity.