In the early days of the new year, 147 migrants and refugees arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in four separate boats, making them among the first arrivals of 2024, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
Following the transfer of 650 individuals from the island, 352 people were present at the “hotspot” for receiving temporary migrants on Tuesday morning. Based on directives from the Agrigento province, 300 individuals are scheduled to be transported on a passenger ferry to “Porto Empedocle” on the main island of Sicily later in the day.
The Italian Ministry of Interior announced last Saturday that 155,754 migrants had arrived in Italy in 2023, including over 17,000 unaccompanied minors. This represents a 50% increase compared to the preceding year when 103,846 arrivals were recorded.
Illegal migration remains one of the most urgent crises that the European Union must address in 2024, particularly the mass migration that threatens asylum systems. In 2023, 2,480 unauthorized migrants drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, with over 150,000 reaching Europe by sea.
Spanish newspaper “20 Minutos” noted that the European countries receiving the highest number of migrants are Spain, Greece, and Italy. Italy, in particular, faces a critical migration crisis because it constitutes the most perilous route, being the central area of the Mediterranean Sea.
The newspaper explained that Italy has recently been dubbed the “graveyard of the Mediterranean” as thousands have gone missing during unauthorized migration journeys after countless boats have sunk. The recurring trend among migrants is to use Greece and Italy as gateways to other European countries, including France, Germany, and even some northern states.
In 2023, 2,480 unauthorized migrants drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, with the Italian Coast Guard rescuing others. Many individuals are fleeing wars, persecution, poverty, and the lack of safer means to leave their countries. They embark on perilous journeys in overcrowded small boats, desperate to reach European shores, risking their lives without knowing if they will make it, leaving them vulnerable to danger.
