Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese has announced the signing of a protocol to bring 500 people from Libya to Italy. She also called for Europe to hold "constructive dialogue" on migration.
In southern Sicily, NGOs have organizated a COVID-19 vaccination campaign that is open to all, including undocumented migrant farmworkers. They have set up centers in the towns of Ragusa and Vittoria.
Italy has agreed to take in 86 people found drifting in the Mediterranean on Wednesday. The migrants were rescued by a small private vessel, Nadir, which said it refused to hand them over to Libyan authorities.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency UNHCR issued a joint statement on June 16 condemning the return of over 270 migrants to the Libyan coast guard.
A little under 700 people arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa early on Tuesday. The reception facility on the island, designed to accommodate around 250, is full to capacity and the mayor of the island has asked for help.