Chaos on Lampedusa – Meloni: detention in sparsely populated areas

On the small Mediterranean island between Sicily and North Africa, authorities counted around 5,000 people reaching the port by boat last Tuesday alone – more than ever before in a single day. Many people have now been transferred from Lampedusa to Sicily or to accommodation on the mainland. Yet the island’s first reception center is still completely overloaded.

The maximum duration of detention during deportations should be extended
Meloni had already made it clear in a video message on social media on Friday evening that the focus of the resolutions should be on extending the maximum detention period for deportations to 18 months. According to EU law, this is the maximum allowed.

By tightening detention pending deportation, Meloni wants to ensure that those who have entered the country illegally can be held for as long as necessary for the processing of the asylum application in question. This should make possible deportation easier. Women and minors under the age of 14 are exempt from the extension of detention pending deportation.

Facilities must be easy to monitor
In addition, the Ministry of Defense will be tasked with creating structures to detain migrants who have entered the country illegally. According to Meloni, the facilities should be built “in remote, sparsely populated areas” that can be easily isolated and monitored.

Meloni is under pressure in her own country
Overall, Meloni called for tougher action against migrants within the EU. People in North Africa should be prevented from crossing to Europe. Redistributing people across the Member States does not solve the problem.

She said it was up to the entire EU to tackle the situation. Due to high migration numbers, Meloni is under strong domestic political pressure. According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than 127,200 people have already reached the country via the Mediterranean Sea this year (as of September 15). In the same period last year there were approximately 66,200.

The EU assures Italy of support
Von der Leyen had meanwhile assured Italy of European support during her short visit to Lampedusa on Sunday. According to her, the Mediterranean Sea needs to be monitored more closely. “We can do this through Frontex,” she said, referring to the EU border protection agency. She added that she supported exploring options for expanding naval operations in the Mediterranean or working on new operations. “We will decide who comes to the European Union – and under what circumstances. And not the smugglers.”

Civil protests in Lampedusa
Meloni and von der Leyen also act under pressure from the inhabitants of Lampedusa. For the first time there were civil protests on the island. Dozens of residents blocked the convoy with the politicians on the way from the airport to the refugee shelter on the island. There were tense moments. The demonstrators demanded a meeting with Meloni. The head of government got out of the car and promised that she would do everything possible to support the island, which has been hit hard by the wave of migration. The demonstrators then decided to clear the street.

Protests broke out on Saturday over alleged plans to set up a migrant tent camp on Lampedusa, as the island’s hotspot is overcrowded. “It’s over, Lampedusa is ours and not the EU,” some demonstrators chanted. They withdrew when the police chief of the Sicilian city of Agrigento, Emanuele Ricifari, assured one of the protesters that the tents were only being used to house Red Cross personnel and that no camp for migrants was planned.