Citizens in Lampedusa are protesting over difficulties with Tunisian migrants staying at the island's hotspot who have been waiting for months to be transferred.
A number of citizens in Lampedusa have reported incidents to the local Carabinieri police about Tunisian migrants staying at the local hot spot, an initial reception center. According to lawsuits filed by residents, some migrants are suspected of theft and vandalism.
93 Tunisian migrants who arrived last October are still at the reception center, though they were supposed to remain on the island just 48 hours at the most. Since then, they have been waiting for papers enabling them to leave or to be repatriated.
Migrants not transferred as scheduled
The migrants staying at the hotspot leave the center during the day - an anomaly that has become the norm in Lampedusa, local sources say. The main aim of the migrants, the sources noted, is to be able to flee to avoid repatriation and leave the island.
Mayor says 'organization doesn't work'
It is still unclear why the Tunisian nationals have remained for so long on the island although authorities in Agrigento, Sicily, say the migrants have not been moved because no room has been found for them in other centers. ''Even before the hosting center in Lampedusa became a hotspot, migrants, especially Tunisians, stayed for months'', said the mayor of Lampedusa, Salvatore Martello. ''It is clear that something in the organization has never worked well because they should stay only for 48 hours and it is not possible to keep them in exasperating conditions even for two months''.