ROME. He declared a temporary state of emergency for six months. Italy prime minister’s government Georgia Melonitrying to deal with it immigrant wave off the coast of Africa.

The Italian Coast Guard has rescued more than 2,000 people in recent days. Immigrants from the waters of Lampedusa and Sicily. His immigration office UN announced yesterday that 441 migrant deaths had been reported in the central Mediterranean in the first three months of 2023, while warning that rescue delays had resulted in at least 127 deaths. On Tuesday, at least 10 immigrants from her countries Africa drowned off the coast of Tunisia, and dozens of others were rescued from a shipwreck off the Tunisian city of Sfax.

Tunisia has become the main gateway for migrants to Europe, where local authorities allow – for a fee – unseaworthy ships to cross the Mediterranean. This year, the number of migrants arriving in Italy has increased significantly compared to last year, despite the efforts of the far-right coalition government in Rome to crack down on illegal immigration. A fishing boat carrying more than 700 migrants was due to arrive at a port in Sicily last night.

According to the Minister of Shipping Nello Musumetsi, the arrival of immigrants increased by 300% in one year. “This situation threatens our infrastructure. This is an unprecedented phenomenon. The islands cannot handle this without outside help,” Musumeci said. The state of emergency will allow the government to fund new accommodation infrastructure with emergency funds and speed up repatriation procedures for those who are not eligible to remain on European soil.

National identity

At the same time, Meloni’s government is pushing forward bills aimed at promoting national identity, protecting the traditional family, cultural heritage, and “stopping the wave of immigration,” the government said in a characteristic statement. Critics of the government accuse the prime minister of pushing symbolic bills after failing to resolve other important issues, such as European funds for the recovery of the economy after the pandemic.

The government is promoting a bill that will fine Italian companies up to €100,000 for using foreign terms in their documents and communications. Meloni, however, defied her critics, who believed she would adopt hardline conservative policies. Instead, the prime minister has avoided controversy both at home and abroad, even managing to placate the eternally anti-Brussels. The only thing Meloni has kept her campaign commitments on is on the issue of immigration, on which she has been relentlessly hard-lined. In her 2021 autobiography, Meloni warns of the risk of cultural corruption due to uncontrolled immigration.