LibyaSociety

Flows of illegal immigration to Italy decline in Q1 of 2019

The flows of illegal immigration to Italy and the number of dead migrants in the Mediterranean have declined since the beginning of 2019, Italian Ministry of Interior announced Tuesday.

The Ministry said two illegal migrants were found dead while trying to cross the Mediterranean to European countries from Libyan coasts in May.

It added that 210 dead illegal immigrants were recorded in the sea compared to 390 in 2016. In 2018, 23 bodies were recovered from the Mediterranean Sea, according to the ministry.

Due to clashes and lack of security in Libya, migrants, including those that pass through the Libyan southern borders coming from African countries, including Chad, cross the Mediterranean in search for a secure life in Europe.

In February, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that 8,269 migrants and refugees entered Europe through the Mediterranean, a 15-percent decrease from the 9,765 arriving during the same period last year.

“IOM Rome’s Flavio Di Giacomo on Thursday (21 Feb.) reported a total of 227 migrants and refugees have landed in Italy this year (2019), according to official Ministry of Interior figures. He added that since 1 January 2019, a total of 855 migrants have been returned to Libya by the Libyan Coast Guard – or almost four times the total arriving by sea to Italy,” the IOM’s reports said.

Related Articles

Back to top button