[Ter]

Italy's Matteo Salvini shuts ports to migrant rescue ship


SOS Méditerranée posted photos of rescued migrants

A rescue vessel carrying 629 migrants is stranded in the Mediterranean after Italy's new interior minister refused permission for it to dock.

Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League, said Malta should accept the Aquarius but he was rejected.

Malta says the German charity SOS Méditerranée picked up the migrants in Libyan waters, which means they fall under Italy's jurisdiction.

Italy is the main entry for migrants crossing from North Africa to Europe.

The League promised voters during Italy's recent general election that it would take a tough stance on immigration.

SOS Méditerranée, which runs the Aquarius, said the ship had been instructed by the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to stand by in its current position, 35 nautical miles from Italy and 27 nautical miles from Malta.



It reports that the migrants were picked up in six different rescue operations off Libya's coast.

"Our objective is the disembarkation in a port of safety of the 629 people now on board the Aquarius - some we rescued yesterday night in difficult conditions," charity spokesperson Mathilde Auvillain was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

The UN refugee agency in Italy has called on "states and actors involved" to "rapidly find solutions to allow migrants and refugees on board the Aquarius to disembark safely and quickly".
Who is on the ship?

Many of the migrants were rescued in waters controlled by Libya, a common route for undocumented migrants attempting to enter Europe from sub-Saharan Africa.

Some 400 were rescued by the Italian Navy, the Italian coastguard and merchant vessels before being transferred to the Aquarius.
Among those saved and brought on board the Aquarius are 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 younger children and seven pregnant women, SOS Méditerranée says.

The minors are aged between 13 and 17 and come from Eritrea, Ghana, Nigeria and Sudan. according to a journalist on the ship, Anelise Borges.

Tweeting during the night, she added that the situation on board was calm and most of the people rescued were asleep.
One Aquarius crew member, Alessandro Porro, told Italian news channel Sky TG24 that they desperately needed to know which port to go to.

"The people we saved yesterday were in a difficult condition, at least 50 were at risk of drowning," he added.
What is Salvini's position?

He said on Sunday that Italy was saying "no to human trafficking, no to the business of illegal immigration".

"Malta takes in nobody," he said. "France pushes people back at the border, Spain defends its frontier with weapons."
"It is not possible for Malta to say 'no' to every request for help. The Good Lord put Malta closer than Sicily to Africa."

Last week, Mr Salvini said Rome should increase its deportations of migrants and the Italian government also wants to relocate asylum seekers EU-wide - a scheme already rejected by some member states.

Mr Salvini says he is considering action against organisations rescuing migrants at sea. He has previously accused them of being in cahoots with people-smugglers.
The government's critics say its plan to repatriate migrants is unworkable and risks fomenting racism and politicising a humanitarian issue.

A controversial deal between Italy's former government and authorities in Libya has led to a drop in overall arrivals since last summer but Italian officials say 13,500 migrants have been registered so far this year.
The government's critics say its plan to repatriate migrants is unworkable and risks fomenting racism and politicising a humanitarian issue.

A controversial deal between Italy's former government and authorities in Libya has led to a drop in overall arrivals since last summer but Italian officials say 13,500 migrants have been registered so far this year.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44432056

It has started.
There is an enormous charade going on. They constantly talk about people being "rescued".
The boats picking up those illegal economic migrants are providing a "Welcome to Europe Express Service", picking up people floating in front of Libya and bringing them to Europe. That is not rescuing people, that is merely flooding Europe with illegal migrants.
This has to stop.

[skinster]

This is what happens when the US/NATO run around destroying ME and African countries.

Actions have consequences and Gaddafi warned the West of exactly this when it decided to destroy Libya, which is still, 7 years later, in ruins...where slavery now exists.

[Albert]

Hope this sends a clear message to these "rescuers". The participants of it should be also jailed for their aiding of illegal operations. I wonder if these boats will eventually get the message and turn back to Libya.

Oh great
Spain offers to take in migrant ship after Italy's populists turn it away

[Kaiserschmarrn]

[Atlantis]

Aside from satisfying Italians' love for political drama, this isn't going to achieve anything. Salvini had no authority to bar the ship from entering Italian ports since the port authorities are under an M5S minister, who has very different ideas about immigration. Anyways, the Liga and M5S have decided not to let this mar their coalition for the time being. But this coalition is built on very shaky foundations.

Salvini needs a PR success on the immigration front ahead of local elections in which he hopes to score. Macron has blasted the Italians for letting the migrants at sea while not offering them a French port. I'm sure the Germans have learned their lesson and will let them sort out their problems on their own.

[Suntzu]

What is need is a multi-nation task force to intercept any ship carrying illegal aliens, scuttle the ship and return the passengers to the port of embarkation.

[One Degree]

This see, hmmm. Spain welcomes migrants to Valencia. Valencia is right next to Catalonia. I wonder if Spain might want migrants in Catalonia?

[Decky]

I don't understand why the people operating these ships are not arrested for people smuggling?

[Hong Wu]

80% of Italians support their current government's immigration policy according to some person on Reddit.

[Kaiserschmarrn]

There are other boats operated by supporters of human traffickers which are looking for a port. After Italy and Malta have refused, Spain now doesn't want to accept the German/Dutch one (Lifeline) either.

The Danish ship mentioned in the article belongs to a freight company and was allowed to dock in Sicily. It was apparently asked by the Italian government to rescue people.

Lifeline: Spain refuses docking to migrant rescue boat as bad weather looms

Spain says it will not accept the Lifeline rescue boat left stranded in the Mediterranean after its rejection by Italy and Malta. This comes as German lawmakers describe the situation on the vessel as precarious.

Spanish Economic Development Minister Jose Luis Abalos said on Monday that his country would not offer docking to a NGO boat carrying some 230 migrants rescued at sea, saying Spain could not "become the sea rescue organization for all of Europe."

His remarks come after the boat, operated by German NGO Mission Lifeline, was turned away by both Italy and Malta, with German lawmakers who have visited the stranded vessel speaking of worsening conditions on board and a possible humanitarian emergency as weather conditions deteriorate.

Libya's coastguard said on Monday nearly a thousand people were rescued off its shores on Sunday.

Spanish authorities said 600 people had been picked up in coastal waters on Monday.

Left in limbo

Italy closed its ports to Lifeline on Thursday, the second time it has rejected an NGO ship in recent weeks
Malta also disclaimed responsibility for the boat
Spain took in the first ship, the Aquarius, that was turned away by the two countries
A Danish cargo ship, the Alexander Maersk, carrying 108 migrants and stuck off Sicily since Saturday, has now been permitted to dock


'At risk of their lives'

In his comments to Cadena Ser radio, Abalos said Spain could not "take on this responsibility alone."

He said Spain's acceptance of the Aquarius had aimed to draw attention to the problem of rescued migrants, but that a political solution was now needed.

German lawmaker Manuel Sarrazin of the Green party, who visited the Lifeline on Monday, told DPA news agency that "if the weather is bad, we will have an emergency situation." He described how people were "sitting packed together on board."

Fellow Green party official Luise Amtsberg called the hygiene and medical situation "precarious."

"The dispute over European jurisdiction should not be allowed to put people at risk of their lives," she said.

[Igor Antunov]

If they were being sunk with everybody on board the exodus from Africa into Europe would cease overnight. Not because it would discourage Africans from coming to Europe, but because all the human traffickers and their ships would be dead.

[Kaiserschmarrn]

I'm trying to imagine the madness that would ensue in the US if a refusal like this came from the Trump administration.

[Drlee]

I'm just fine with the Italian action. These are not rescues as was pointed out.

If Germany had it to over again.........

[One Degree]

Why is there a humanitarian emergency on a boat German officials visited? Maybe they should have brought food instead of officials?

[skinster]

Man there's so many people who've had empathy completely beaten out of them. I am disappoint. Humans suck.

[Kaiserschmarrn]

I'm just fine with the Italian action. These are not rescues as was pointed out.

If Germany had it to over again.........

How is it different from people just being rejected at the US border as Trump suggested?

[Drlee]

How is it different from people just being rejected at the US border as Trump suggested?

It is not fundamentally different. I have no problem with the US denying asylum requests.

We have laws covering asylum requests here. I am sure Germany and Italy do also. Ours state that once they present themselves at a port of entry they have the privilege of an asylum hearing.

Here is where I draw the line. It is one thing to individually flee from a particular tyranny. Economic migration is quite another.

Don't think for a moment that because I am critical of the Trump administrations draconian family separation policy and "zero tolerance" policy that threatens people who have been in the US for decades, that I am for open borders. I am not. I lean toward a version of Trump's merit based system in some respects.

Here is what was going on in the US for a long time. In the past, when the border patrol caught someone illegally crossing they would simply process them and kick them right back across the border. (That is if they were Mexican. Many aren't.) Now we are prosecuting all illegal entrants caught at the border. This serves the purpose of making any further attempt at illegal entry a more serious offense. I am fine with that too. I never did like "catch and release".

Also. Please do not think that I am being facetious when I say that I favor strict workplace enforcement. I do. I believe it is outrageous to allow American business people to dangle a huge carrot in front of the desperately poor and then complain when they try to eat it. Make no mistake. Business benefits greatly from illegal labor. It does drive down wages for citizens. There is no doubt about that in my mind. I believe that business owners should be prosecuted for hiring illegals and I believe that we should move to a tighter verification standard before any worker is hired. FULL STOP.

Now that we agree to do that we have to do some stuff before we can implement it. We have to decide what to do with the workers who are here and have been here for many years. We have to decide what to do with the parents of American citizens. It is my opinion that if we decide that one child born here is not entitled to American Citizenship in accordance with our constitution, then where does this stop? IMO, if a mom and dad work here, pay taxes, and abide by the law, it is in our enlightened interest to allow them to stay. Sure they could take their daughter to Mexico where and raise here there. But we can't deport her. And she has a constitutional right to either remain here or come back whenever she pleases.'

Another smart thing we need to do is look at the practical economic reasons to allow some illegal immigrants to stay. There are many and I have already outlined them.

So simply. I want the dreamers to stay. I want the employed and law abiding parents of American citizens to have the opportunity to stay. I believe mass deportations would destroy our economy and disrupt our daily life extremely. In other words I want sensible immigration programs that move us to some reasonable form of stasis.

Does that explain my position better?

On edit.

Let me propose a hypothetical that is not that far fetched.

Suppose I was born in Mexico and brought to the US, illegally entering at the age of two in my mother's arms. I am 13 now and was deported at the age of 12 to Mexico. . I don't speak Spanish well and know nothing of Mexico. I try a few months of living there and hate it. So I grab my American birth certificate or passport and walk to the port of entry. Informing the ICE agent that I am a citizen and crave entry into the US, what is the agent to do? Then, with no family in the US I walk in to child protective services and ask for help. They can't by law turn me away. So into very expensive foster care I go. I maintain that the US would have been far better off offering a green card to my parents in the first place.

See what I mean.

[Suntzu]

If you entered at age 2 you aren't a citizen and don't have a passport.

[Rugoz]

I'm trying to imagine the madness that would ensue in the US if a refusal like this came from the Trump administration.

The "Trump separates children from families thread" was full of bullshit like "it's the will of the asylum-seekers since they come here" and "it's impossible the incarcerate them as a family" and "they will go into hiding" etc., instead of being honest and saying "we have to be cruel to them for deterrence".

I think we should limit the cruelty to what is "necessary", namely sending them back to where they came from.

And frankly stop NGOs from acting as smugglers, though I'm not sure shutting down ports to their ships is the right way to do it.

[Beren]

And frankly stop NGOs from acting as smugglers, though I'm not sure shutting down ports to their ships is the right way to do it.

Deploying some U-boats to sink them would be the right way to do it, even the old models could do that effectively enough perhaps. Now I wonder whether I've won the cruel Fascist contest.