LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Home Secretary, James Cleverly, is visiting Italy as part of the U.K. government’s efforts to crack down on migrants arriving by small boats.
Cleverly will meet his Italian counterpart, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, and discuss how Italy and Britain can expand their joint work to stop migrants in north Africa from making often perilous journeys across the Mediterranean Sea, officials said Tuesday.
Cleverly will also visit Lampedusa, the southernmost island of Italy which receives the majority of migrants arriving in the country. In September, some 7,000 people arrived from Tunisia on the tiny island in a span of roughly 24 hours, overwhelming the local migrant reception center.
The visit comes as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stepped up his calls for the U.K. Parliament to approve his plan to deport some asylum-seekers to Rwanda.
Amir Khan's £11.5m luxury wedding venue finally hosts its first marriage: Bride arrives on horse
Hengqin starts new customs operation in S China
Barges break loose on Ohio River in Pittsburgh, damaging a marina and striking a bridge
Yvette Fielding says her Most Haunted co
China to further enhance NEV charging facilities
Cash crop plantations boost rural development in SW China's Sichuan
Private economy set to get boost from law draft
Devout Christian doctor, 68, who punched dementia
Energy storage industry put on fast track in China
Jon Wysocki dead at 53: Staind drummer passes away
Chinese carriers allowed to operate more flights to US