Interior minister Matteo Salvini demonstrates that hardline policies save lives

Monday 29 July - According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), migrant sea deaths in the Mediterranean have dropped to the lowest levels in years.

686 migrants have either died or gone missing in the first seven months of 2019, compared to more than double that (1,517) during the same period of 2018.

Meanwhile, during the same period in 2017, deaths totaled 2,409; 3,172 in 2016; and 2,069 in 2015. Of those who have died thus far in 2019, 426 have died in the 'Central Mediterranean Route', which would be headed toward Italy.

In June, Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini reminded Italians that his hardline approach to illegal immigration has saved hundreds of lives.

'More than 5,000 people died at sea in 2016,' Salvini noted. 'This year we are at a tenth of that. We have gone from 76,858 landings in 2017 to 2,544 this year.'

Author's comment: Hardline policies such as those put in place by Italy undoubtedly save many more lives than the policies of so-called humanitarian organisations, whose continued effort to make crossing the Mediterranean less dangerous for illegal immigrants merely encourages more people to risk their lives.