Nearly Two-Thirds of Italians Back Meloni’s Tougher Migrant Policies

Just under two-thirds of Italians support the immigration policies of firebrand Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as her government looks to reduce the number of illegal migrant arrivals to Italy.

A survey by marketing firm Eumetra revealed that 63 per cent of the Italian public supports the Meloni policy on wanting to reduce illegal migrant arrivals, including restricting the activities of migrant taxi NGOs.

Pollster Eumetra asked the participants in the survey if they agreed with Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi’s move to only allow minors and women to disembark migrant taxi NGO ships along with demanding countries like Germany, under whose flag one of the NGO ships sails, take responsibility for the migrants picked up n the Mediterranean, Il Giornale reports.

While the vast majority of supporters of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI) party agree with her policies, along with supporters of her coalition allies, a majority of some opposition parties, such as the Five Star Movement (M5S) are also in favour of tougher migration policy.

Prior to Prime Minister Meloni forming her government, it was revealed that migrant taxi NGOs have dropped off at least 10,000 migrants to Italy this year, a large proportion of the overall number of illegal arrivals, which now sits at over 86,000.

Interior Minister Piantedosi, who worked alongside populist Matteo Salvini when he reduced migrant arrivals in 2018 and 2019, stated last month that migrant taxi NGO vessels are “not in line with the spirit of European and Italian rules on security and border control and the fight against illegal immigration.”

“We cannot accept the principle that a state does not control the flows of those who enter,” he said and added, “Slowing down departures also means limiting deaths at sea, which are repugnant to me and which I see are almost no longer news.”

Earlier this year, Ms Meloni suggested she would be in favour of a naval blockade to reduce illegal immigration, saying, “Brothers of Italy are proposing a naval blockade because, as we have explained a thousand times, it is a matter of a European mission in agreement with North African states to stop — alongside them — human trafficking and to set up in African territory hotspots managed alongside the European Union to assess asylum requests and distinguish between those who have a right to asylum and international protection from those who do not.”

Earlier this week, Italian Rear Admiral  Nicola De Felice stated in an interview that he supported a naval blockade to disrupt and end the activities of people smugglers.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com.