An Italian prosecutor on Saturday requested a judge to impose a six-year prison sentence on right-wing League leader Matteo Salvini for his 2019 decision to block over 100 migrants from disembarking in Italy. The former interior minister, who now serves as deputy prime minister and transport minister in Giorgia Meloni's government, faces charges of kidnapping and is awaiting sentencing due to his decision that left the migrants stranded at sea. Prosecutors had previously ordered the seizure of their vessel and the evacuation of those on board. During a hearing in Palermo, the Sicilian capital, the prosecutor called for Salvini's imprisonment. The final verdict will be determined by a senior judge following a three-stage judicial process. A definitive conviction could disqualify Salvini from holding government office.
"I would do it all again: defending borders from illegal immigrants is not a crime," Salvini stated in a post on X on Saturday. During his 14-month tenure as interior minister, Salvini halted several boats from docking in Italy to curb migrant flows. He frequently accused migrant rescue charities of indirectly promoting human trafficking. Salvini's League is a component of Meloni's center-right government.
"It is inconceivable that a minister of the Italian Republic faces six years in prison for fulfilling his duty of safeguarding the nation's borders, as mandated by the citizens," Meloni remarked in a post on X. "Transforming the obligation to protect Italy's borders from illegal immigration into a criminal act sets a grave precedent. I express my full solidarity," she added. Meloni, who came to power in 2022, has pledged to intensify measures against unauthorized arrivals from North Africa, including stricter immigration laws, limitations on sea rescue charities, and plans to establish migrant reception centers in Albania.
Simultaneously, Meloni has facilitated the legal employment of hundreds of thousands of migrants in Italy to address labor shortages and deter migrant smugglers. Interior ministry data indicate that the number of irregular migrants arriving in Italy by sea in 2024 is approximately two-thirds lower than in the same period the previous year, totaling 44,675 individuals.
