Migrants face tougher times in Meloni’s Italy

Life is tough for asylum seekers in Italy – most are denied refugee status, barred from legal employment and, polls suggest, face discrimination. Now things look set to get even worse.
Fresh from her election victory, Giorgia Meloni is expected to become prime minister later this month at the head of a right-wing coalition that has vowed to crack down on immigration and tighten Italy’s borders.
Among promised measures are accelerated repatriations and more stringent asylum rules. Meloni has also called for a naval blockade of North Africa to prevent migrants from putting to sea and for renewed curbs on charity rescue ships.
Michael Buschheur, founder of German humanitarian group Sea Eye, “The outlook is extremely difficult,” whose boats have saved thousands of migrant lives in the central Mediterranean over the past six years.
Buschheur sees Italy’s expected clampdown as part of broader European efforts to keep out refugees.