Italy to pass tougher measures to deter migrant arrivals

A man disembarked from Guardia di Finanza vessel is taken away on a stretcher after being rescued at sea, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

ROME (Reuters) - The Italian government, struggling with a surge in migrant arrivals, will pass measures on Monday to lengthen the time migrants can be held and to ensure more people who have no right to stay are repatriated, officials said.

The move comes after almost 10,000 migrants reached the southern Italian island of Lampedusa last week, dealing a blow to the credibility of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who won office last year vowing to curb illegal immigration.