Gérald Darmanin has called for a meeting in Paris this Friday afternoon to discuss the influx of migrants on the island of Lampedusa.

The French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, has called for a meeting to be held this Friday afternoon to discuss the « migration situation » in Lampedusa, the small Italian island that has been facing record arrivals of migrants through the Mediterranean in recent days. Over 7,000 people from North Africa landed in Lampedusa on Tuesday and Wednesday, which is equivalent to the local population on the island. Lampedusa, being one of the main entry points to Europe, has declared a state of emergency.

« I cannot reword »

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During a visit to Menton (Alpes-Maritimes) on Tuesday, Gérald Darmanin announced reinforcements in the fight against irregular immigration at the Italian border, where France has observed « a 100% increase in flows, » he said. At this stage, the Ministry of Interior has not indicated whether France could align with Germany’s decision, which announced on Wednesday the suspension of voluntary reception of asylum seekers from Italy, as provided for in European agreements, due to « strong migratory pressure » and Rome’s refusal to implement these same agreements.

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At Lampedusa, the reception center intended to accommodate fewer than 400 people is overwhelmed, with men, women, and children forced to sleep outside on makeshift plastic beds, many wrapped in survival blankets. Out of the approximately 7000 arrivals, over 5000 people disembarked on Tuesday on the Italian shores, almost exclusively in Lampedusa, and nearly 3000 on Wednesday, as reported by the Italian Ministry of Interior. Matteo Villa from the think tank ISPI described it as an « absolute record ».