As the number of illegal immigrants arriving by boat this month matches previous crisis peaks, it is estimated that as many as 100,000 people could enter Italy by the end of the year.
Italy’s interior ministry said a total of 58,451 migrants arrived on Thursday this year, with around 7,800 migrants arriving in small boats in the last week of August or being dropped off by “migrant taxis” by NGO ships conducting maritime operations.
The new arrival rates will cause forecasters to revise their year-end estimates from 77,000 arrivals to 90,000–100,000 arrivals.
In total, 15,733 migrants entered Italy illegally in August, surpassing the 13,802 increase seen in July.
According to the newspaper Il GiorgnaleHundreds of migrants have left the eastern coast of Libya, which is under the control of General Khalifa Haftar, who supports Russia.
50 migrant boats landed on Italian island in 24 hours https://t.co/a1mq7SHQLv
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) 29 August 2022
Late last month, Italian intelligence officials suggested that Russia might try to influence the Italian elections through its presence in Libya.
They are said to be looking to help anti-immigrant populist Matteo Salvini, who is part of the league party centre-right alliance and should win the election on September 25 this month.
“Libya is a ball against Italy. “Immigration is the most powerful weapon for those who want to influence the parliamentary elections to be held in September in connection with the Italian election campaign,” he said.
By magazine, The increase in immigration also means increased income for smugglers, with a ship of 57 migrants earning them more than half a million euros.
Allegedly, they charge up to 10,000 euros per flight from immigrants, most of them from Iran and Iraq.
Italy: African migrant pictured raping a Ukrainian woman in broad daylighthttps://t.co/uKanlztgx1
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 24, 2022
Source: Breitbart
