"Three Afghan men stand together in the freezing fog outside of Milan's central train station on a recent night their first moments in Italy. It took two of them a year of clandestine border crossings and journeys in smugglers' vans to get to this country where they will claim asylum. The third Afghan man fled to here from Germany, where he had lived and learned the language for three years,"
"Meloni's government is spending tens of millions of euros to fund the Tunisian and Libyan coast guards to try to prevent irregular migration across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy. These patrols sometimes use violent tactics to stop the smugglers' boats, endangering those on board. Many migrants are placed in squalid detention centers in Libya where the United Nations and human rights groups have documented the widespread use of torture and abuse."
Milan receives new arrivals and provides services and programs aimed at integrating asylum seekers and migrants into society. Two Afghans spent a year crossing borders and riding in smugglers' vans to reach Italy, while another fled Germany after policy changes prompted deportations of Afghan and Syrian asylum seekers. The city presents itself as open to change and global connections. The national government funds Tunisian and Libyan coast guards to curb Mediterranean crossings, pursues restrictions on search-and-rescue charities, and faces reports of violent interdictions and Libya detention centers where UN and human rights groups document torture and abuse.
Read at www.npr.org
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