Italy extends detention period to curb migrant crossings
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00:00 Hundreds of migrants continue to arrive on the Italian island of Lampedusa every day,
00:05 prompting Giorgio Meloni's government to take action on Monday, extending the detention
00:10 period for said migrants from 135 days to 18 months.
00:16 The move still has to be ratified by the Italian parliament, with the president of one local
00:21 NGO speaking out against the decision.
00:24 "I believe the issue is to not criminalise these people, but above all to invest in reception,
00:34 knowing among other things that almost all these migrants who are arriving do not stay
00:39 in Italy."
00:40 Italy's southernmost island has seen a major influx of migrants as of late, with 10,000
00:49 people arriving on boats last week.
00:52 Overwhelming Lampedusa's migration centre, built to house just 400.
00:57 Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni has launched an appeal for European solidarity, leading
01:01 President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to visit Lampedusa on Sunday,
01:06 offering a ten-point plan to help with the mass arrivals.
01:10 And on Monday, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin travelled to the Italian capital,
01:14 meeting his counterpart in order to discuss European cooperation, with France anticipating
01:20 an influx of migrants at its Italian border.
01:23 More than 127,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, according to government
01:28 data, almost double the figure for the same period in 2022.