The Italian government has passed new controversial measures to curb immigration.
The so-called security decree, promoted by Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, envisages fines of up to €50,000 for ships that “ignore bans and limitations” on accessing Italian waters, and the seizure of ships that ignore orders more than once.
Although the legislative text passed on Tuesday doesn’t specifically mention activities carried out by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Salvini’s aim is to clamp down on migrant rescues in the Mediterranean which, he says, ultimately help human traffickers get people illegally into Europe.
Salvini, leader of the far-right League party, has repeatedly denied access to Italian ports to rescue ships, leaving migrants stranded at sea for days. He also engaged in public spats with Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, from the League’s coalition partner the 5Star Movement, over who had the power to bar access to Italian ports.
The new measures also give the interior ministry the power to deny or limit access to Italian territorial waters and the disembarkation of people and goods. The limitation includes “specific ships carrying out the activities indicated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” according to a statement released by the prime minister’s office Tuesday night.
The U.N. treaty, known as the Montego Bay Convention, defines obligations related to rescue activities at sea and is the legal base on which NGOs operate their rescue operations in the Mediterranean.
The new rules approved by Cabinet on Tuesday, which will be effective for 60 days and must then be converted into law by parliament, are a revised version of an earlier proposal by Salvini which both the 5Stars and Italian President Sergio Mattarella previously expressed doubts about.
At a press conference Tuesday night, 5Stars leader Luigi Di Maio said “the security decree is a start and I hope that when it reaches parliament it will be strengthened and improved to tackle the presence of illegal immigrants in the country … 500,000 illegal immigrants in Italy are way too many.”
Last month the U.N. said the proposed rules violated human rights. The Italian government dismissed the accusations, saying the U.N. was “approaching the Libyan crisis with an unsuitable and mentally limited approach,” according to a report by news agency ANSA.
“The repeated transfers of migrants from certain NGOs with the clear aim of reaching Italian ports … help human traffickers reach their goals,” the Italians wrote in their reply to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, according to the ANSA report.