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After two weeks at sea, minors and sick migrants were allowed to disembark in Italy on Sunday. But thirty migrants are refused entry.
On Sunday, a German rescue boat was able to let sick people, minors and toddlers, a total of 144 migrants, go ashore in Sicily, according to the German aid organization SOS Humanity. But thirty-five migrants, all of whom are men, were turned away. They remain on the boat with an uncertain fate.
– We are waiting out here until further notice, says press spokesperson Petra Krischok at SOS Humanity to AFP.
Italy’s new far-right government has vowed to crack down on migrant boats from North Africa to Europe.
For almost two weeks, up to 300 migrants have been on board two ships, belonging to the German aid organization SOS Humanity, off the coast of Sicily.
After pressure from France and Germany, Italy finally decided to let some migrants land.
Italian opposition member Aboubakar Soumahoro, furious at a “selection of shipwrecked migrants”, has said it violates international law. He came down hard on Italian President Meloni for treating the migrants as objects.
What happens to the thirty-five migrants is unclear.
According to Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, migrants who are not “qualified” must be removed from Italian territorial waters.