Italy – Interior Minister Salvini (Lega Nord) Vows To “Send Home” 500,000 Immigrants

Whilst the international markets focused the whole week on whether the populist new Italian government would appoint an economics minister which was either pro- or anti-eurozone, the appointment of interior minister didn’t change. The government that President Mattarella refused last week had the same man running things in Italy as the one for the government he did accept yesterday: the far-right leader Mr Matteo Salvini of the Lega Nord who has vowed (as an election promise) to do everything possible about the 500,000 undocumented African migrants that have arrived in Italy over the past few years.

Asked what where the priorities for his new government, Mr Salvini admitted that one of the new populist government’s top items will indeed be to “send them home.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">Salvini ruba la scena a tutti.<br>La caccia al migrante è al primo posto<br>L’apertura de <a href="https://twitter.com/ilmanifesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ilmanifesto</a> <a href="https://t.co/0GzjmWFtNL">pic.twitter.com/0GzjmWFtNL</a></p>&mdash; Franco Maria Fontana (@francofontana43) <a href="https://twitter.com/francofontana43/status/1002775044546879489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr Salvini’s rise to power as one of Italy’s most powerful government positions (most political commentators agree that Mr Conte may hold the position of Prime Minister, the real power lies with Mr Salvini of the Lega Nord and Mr Di Maio of the 5 Star Movement) with oversight of domestic security, civil rights, immigration and asylum and elections, could be a game-changer for those waiting in the refugee camps.

Related coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/27692-Italy-President-Finally-Accepts-Proposed-Populist-Government

Upon his appointment as Interior Minister, Mr Salvini declared to put an end to “open doors in Italy and a one-way ticket for those who come to Italy to create commotion and think they will be taken care of. ‘Send them home’ will be one of our top priorities.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">158 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/migrant?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#migrant</a> s land in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Italy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Italy</a> ahead of visit by anti-immigrant Salvini <a href="https://t.co/8kC9gzBnaL">https://t.co/8kC9gzBnaL</a></p>&mdash; Vastuullisuusuutiset (@Vastuullisuus) <a href="https://twitter.com/Vastuullisuus/status/1002769481880473600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr Calogero Santoro, who heads a non-profit organisation working with migrants and refugees in Sicily (where most of the refugee camps are located), declared: “Fake news about migrants have spread all over Italy during the last campaign. My concern is the future of asylum seekers, people who are eligible for a refugee status. What will happen to them under Salvini’s League?”

Related coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/27432-Italy-Populists-Outraged-As-President-Assigns-Technocrat-PM-Bypassing-Election-Result

“This is what scares me. The previous government’s deal with Tripoli is making the lives of these people harder and harder in Libya and now Salvini could make their life impossible in Italy too.”

Source:

http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2018/06/01/news/il_governo_giura_nel_pomeriggio_salvini_tagliare_i_5_miliardi_per_l_accoglienza_dei_migranti_spread_in_calo_borsa_in_r-197892331/?ref=search