The Italian head of government invites Von der Leyen to Lampedusa. The Dominican Republic announces closure of the border with Haiti

Following the arrival of several thousand boat migrants on Lampedusa in recent days, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni invited the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to the Mediterranean island. The EU politician should visit Lampedusa together with Meloni “to become personally aware of the seriousness of the situation we are in,” the right-wing politician said in a video message on Friday evening.

Since the beginning of the week, several thousand boat migrants have reached the small island between Sicily and North Africa. More than 5,000 people arrived on Tuesday alone – more than ever before in one day. The original shelter was at times extremely overcrowded, with approximately 6,800 people. Due to its proximity to the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax, Lampedusa has been one of the hotspots of migration to Europe for years. The island’s municipal council declared a state of emergency on Wednesday due to the escalating situation.

“The migratory pressure that Italy has been experiencing since the beginning of this year is unsustainable,” Meloni continued. According to the head of government, it is clear that the Mediterranean region and Europe cannot accommodate this enormous number of people. She now plans to take “extraordinary measures”. For example, she announced that she would extend the maximum detention period in deportation detention centers. She wants to decide on the measures during a cabinet meeting on Monday.

Since October 2022, Italy has been ruled by a right-wing alliance led by the ultra-right Meloni. The politician promised to limit migration to Italy. So far she has not been able to fulfill her election promise. According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior in Rome, around 127,200 people have come to Italy by boat since the beginning of the year (as of September 15) – in the same period last year there were around 66,200 (sda/dpa).