Italian news agency ANSA reported on Saturday that the Italian Coast Guard found a newborn dead on a boat carrying migrants to the Italian island of Lampedusa, where dozens of citizens protested the recent increase in arrivals. Nearly 126,000 migrants have reached Italy since the beginning of this year, nearly double the number compared to the same period in 2022. Lampedusa has been particularly burdened recently, with thousands arriving just last week, surpassing the number of permanent residents, prompting calls for assistance.
The agency noted that during a rescue operation, the Coast Guard discovered a newborn dead on the boat off Lampedusa, adding that the child was born during the journey and died shortly after birth. Last week, a five-month-old infant drowned during a rescue operation off the island after a boat carrying migrants from North Africa capsized.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on the European Union on Friday to take joint action to prevent migrants from crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa and pledged to take strict measures in response to the spike in migrant arrivals last week. An EU official announced that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled to visit the island on Sunday at Meloni's invitation.
The French Presidency stated that President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Meloni on Saturday to affirm France's support for Italy in the face of the rising number of arriving migrants. The Élysée Palace added that French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin would visit Rome in the coming days to meet with his Italian counterpart.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated late Friday night that Germany had decided to continue receiving migrants and refugees arriving in Italy, after previously announcing the suspension of a voluntary agreement with Rome to accept new arrivals. Dozens of residents of Lampedusa organized protests today against plans to build a new camp to host migrants. One protestor said, "I have two children at home. I didn't care about this issue in previous years. But now my instinct to protect my children drives me, as I do not know what will happen to Lampedusa in the future."
