As reported by the BBC yesterday, thousands of Tunisian migrants are escaping their country’s continued unrest by relocating to the Italian island of Lampedusa, off the coast of Sicily. The number of migrants on the island now exceeds 4,000–with over 1,000 arriving on Sunday alone.
The Italian government has declared a state of humanitarian emergency and is seeking assistance from the European Union, requesting that the EU’s border security agency provide support off the Tunisian coast. From the latest reports, however, it seems that Italy is being left to deal with the influx on its own, and has begun to transport migrants to detention centers in Sicily and other parts of southern Italy.
According to Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, in addition to those escaping poverty and asylum in Tunisia, supporters of Al-Qaeda, terrorists, and criminals could be using this opportunity to get into Europe. Is it possible that Italy may have a Mariel boatlift on its hands? Perhaps it’s too early for that assertion, but 4,000 people in just a few days is certainly an alarming statistic.
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