Sharjah24 – AFP: Italy was set Monday to unveil tough rules to deter migrants after record boat crossings from North Africa to Lampedusa saw the country's southernmost tip overwhelmed with new arrivals.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the cabinet would sign off on new measures on Monday, including increasing the time migrants due to be expelled from Italy can be detained from a maximum of 135 days to 18 months.
"It means that, and I sent a very clear message to the whole of Africa, if you rely on traffickers to break Italian laws, when you arrive in Italy you must know that you will be detained and then repatriated," she said in a television interview.
After landing, migrants whom Italy determines should be expelled are sent to so-called "permanent repatriation centres" (CPRs).
The vast majority of migrants who arrive in Italy, however, are sent to reception centres throughout the country where they stay while they await a decision on their asylum request.
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