Italy rescues a record number of immigrants in Mediterranean

“How many today? “. The question bounces among 920 soldiers from the Italian Navy patrolling the Mediterranean barrier that separates Africa from Europe, sighted boats and barges loaded with immigrants and move in their frigates and corvettes ground. The computation grows every changing of the guard: from January until last Wednesday had arrived in Italy 100,047 undocumented foreigners, most of Eritrea, Syria, Pakistan, Senegal, Libya and South Sudan. In the last two days arrived other 1,495. Two of them died.

Around 2013 were 42,000 immigrants to the Italian coast, less than half that in the first seven months of this year. It was in October last year, after the wrecks of Lampedusa in which 366 people (among them dozens of children) died when immigration policy was changed. Images of hundreds of coffins, many of them white, lined up in the harbor rocked Italy. If the Executive of Silvio Berlusconi to the boats is escorting the country they had left and only allowed to rescue the passengers of which were sinking, for nine months, with the Mare Nostrum program, it helps all boats approaching the Sicilian Channel.

News of continuous and massive spread landings in some areas to a hostile suspicion rescue operation.

Many politicians do not miss an opportunity to feed psychosis. The most active are the members of the Northern League, a xenophobic and anti-European discourse managed to rise from the ashes in European May to 6% of the vote. ” Mare Nostrum is insurance for illegal traffickers,” said Deputy Marco Rondini. “The government guarantees profit of 150,000 euros per trip, while spending nine million euros of public money per month.” The Government recognizes this figure.

It gets into the car Forza Italia, which seeks to reclaim the alliance with his former partners of Government: ” [Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi ] have to admit the failure of the mission and impose Europe patrolling directly the Mediterranean with the [ media border agency ] Frontex “said Vincenzo Gibiino, coordinator of Berlusconi’s party in Sicily.

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano defends the Mare Nostrum (“We are proud to have saved lives,” he said), but this Friday stressed the need for the EU to take control of borders and patrol the sea with its media.

“What we see on our shores is the tip of the iceberg,” says Andrea di Nicola, Professor of Criminology at the University of Trento specialized in trafficking. “Behind those frightened faces, there is a criminal system, a huge organization with hundreds of members. Each controls one stage of the journey to Europe. There are those who lead the barges, which corrupt officials output ports, cashiers who keep the money, they get false documents and bosses, who are true entrepreneurs. “

In the book Confessions of a dealer in men, just published in Italy, Nicola Di Giampaolo Musumeci and interview a dozen of them. “They are businessmen,” summarizes Professor. ” Ready, studied, attentive to what happens in the world. The one that caught our eye is found in Cairo, free. He is known as The Douly. Men handles traffic from the coast of Africa. Speaks English fluently, had three phones and a bundle of newspapers from various nations across the table. We looked into his eyes and saw someone who helps fulfill the dreams of people seeking a better future. He worries that immigrants safely reach their destination in a system -of-mouth, it is essential to have a reputation to fulfill what is promised. Think 24 hours on how to dodge checks, which routes open to take advantage of what laws “.

While some critics argue that the Italian device makes it easier for the mafia, others believe that Mare Nostrum has uncovered a phenomenon that was previously buried but it existed. And, if it is suspended, traffickers organize other routes. Immigrants may arrive by land, clinging to trucks or hidden in car seats.

Yes it seems certain that disrupt rescues at sea return to the situation prior to October. A tragedies like Lampedusa shipwrecks. The solution? ” More instruments for judges and police, a structure of international research to stalk the big fish, not the last in the chain,” says Di Nicola. And you could track illegal money earned with trafficking. The United Nations estimates that the pins that bring immigrants to Europe from Africa earn about 112 million euros a year. ” It is we who abandon immigrants in the hands of traffickers. If there exist no clandestine humanitarian corridors and Mare Nostrum would be superfluous, “says the scholar. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency UN urges Europe to ” provide other avenues of access” to the undocumented.

” How many today? “. The same question of military rescuing migrants at sea bounces off the mouth of doctors, policemen and volunteers who welcome them ashore. Those who arrive they are distributed shelters, churches, old schools, closed… From Sicily to Friuli in northeastern sports centers.

Milan Central Station, for example, is a major center for Syrian and Eritrean. More than 23,000 went through there in seven months. The City Council, the delegation of government and regional health mounted and dismounted every day to a tent where a first assistance to immigrants. They provide food, care, smiles and refer them to the 1,100 beds that are scattered throughout the city.

“We just censarlos and are occupied,” said on Thursday afternoon Costantina Regazzo, director of Progetto Arca Onlus. “They come with trains from the South at 9, at 10.30, at 14.40 and 19.30. Families, many single men and, increasingly, unaccompanied minors. Do not stop. What we see every day is an exodus. “

Talk to calm voice, the tone of one who has had time to swing his reflections, ” Mare Nostrum Thanks to arrive alive: with skin burnt by the sun and salt, bruised, but alive… with pneumonia. Can not wait to get back on tour, this time to Northern countries to rebuild their lives. “

Even seeking asylum in Italy, although they are entitled. Countries where they prefer to have more options. UNHCR considers refugees fleeing the war and as such considered to 29 % of the landings in 2014 who fled Eritrea and 18% who fled Syria. “Italy is a long humanitarian corridor ” sums Regazzo.

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Posted by Jamshed Sindhu on Aug 17 2014. Filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.