The Italian government will make it difficult for immigrants to arrive and remain in the country, after hundreds arrived in Sicily on Monday after a rescue by the Coast Guard.
The Italian Senate is expected to accept this week the bill presented by the Giorgia Meloni government, which aims to make it more difficult for migrants to obtain temporary permission to stay in the country, according to the Associated Press.
The Vice President of the Government, Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigration League party, wants the country to eliminate the “special protection” status for the thousands of migrants who have arrived in the country.
“Special protection” is a status that has been granted in Italy since 2018 to certain immigrants who do not receive the title of refugee or the so-called subsidiary protection.
This status allows immigrants to stay in Italy for two years. During that period, they are allowed to legally reside and work.
Salvini said the possibility of the statute acting as a “pull factor” encouraging migrants to leave their countries.
While Giorgia Meloni has already said she would like to see the statute removed, lawmakers from the conservative Forza Italia party have indicated they may push for the deadline to be reduced from two years to six months.
The state of migratory emergency was approved by the Council of Ministers after the recent disembarkation on the Italian coasts of at least 3,000 people, while dozens of boats, many in difficulty, headed towards the country, taking advantage of the improvement in weather conditions in the Mediterranean.
The measure, proposed by the Minister of Civil Protection and Maritime Policy, Nelo Musumeci, and with an initial endowment of five million euros, will be applied throughout the national territory for six months.
Italy is traversed by the so-called Central Mediterranean route, one of the deadliest migratory routes, which leaves Libya, Algeria and Tunisia towards Europe, towards Italian and Maltese territories.
Source: TSF
