🇮🇹 Matteo Salvini: 'Italy and Sicily cannot be Europe's refugee camp' | Al Jazeera English

Italy's new interior minister says the island of Sicily will no longer be what he calls "Europe's refugee camp".

Matteo Salvini made the comments in Pozzallo - one of the main arrival points for refugees and migrants making the dangerous crossing from North Africa. He has already promised to reduce the number of arrivals and increase the number of expulsions.

Al Jazeera's Sonia Gallego reports from Rome.

[Umrao]

He didn't say refugees. There's no war in Tunisia, Ivory coast, Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria and so on. These are economic migrants who cross dozens of countries illegally in order to get financial assistance. And when they come to Italy they all say that they're gay so that they might get asylum. Pathetic.

[fiatvoluntastua]

This man knows exactly what’s going on. I support him.

[JoeyCentral]

Proud to be part Italian. One of the only sane countries left in West Europe.

[maxpayne]

Great man. Forza SALVINI GRANDE MATTEO..Italia per ITALIANE

[rednet]

GRANDE SALVINI "the MAN", and for the ONG "vaffanculo"

[Teepax]

My nephew was a kid he came from Bangladesh he was 16 And The African migrants killed him we want justice

[romandarius]

If Africa were to pay young Italian Men 10 times as much working in Italy, when they could be collecting welfare in Africa, boats full of young Italian Men would be going to Africa as refugees!

[ninogiampaolo]

Immigration in Italy is a joke, the well funded ONG provide free rides from Lybia to Italy, then when the immigrants arrive on the italian shores, well funded charities provide free food and free accomodation and some pocket money: no control over any criminal record, no control over any past terrorist activities. As the number of this situation involves many thousands of people, the legal residents have voted to stop this deportation from Africa to Italy.

[opalmig]

Why don't they do what Mexico been doing for years, grant transit visas to any one who wish to travel trough Mexican territory to reach the "Dream land " ?

[richardgoode]

A europe policy on immagration to decrease numbers as in a affective long term to scale may be a able way toward a resulation.

[knhmutknhmut]

Salvini is my friend he couldn't Do that

[osardonald]

be careful with that man, his saying what can never happen, Italian ppl build your economy and live refugees alone.