Italy's PM Meloni spearheads alliance to combat illegal migration and support Africa

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is seeking to build an alliance of nations to combat illegal migration and human trafficking in the Mediterranean. While expressing openness to legal immigration, Meloni emphasized the need to prevent migrants from making dangerous unauthorized crossings. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed the importance of offering legal routes into the EU and highlighted a recent strategic partnership with Tunisia to crack down on human traffickers. Italy, struggling with an influx of unauthorized migrants, also aims to issue 452,000 new work visas for non-EU nationals from 2023 to 2025. Pope Francis called on European and African governments to assist migrants trapped in desert areas and prevent further tragedies in the Mediterranean.