As Giorgia Meloni makes history as Italy’s first female prime minister, fear has gripped African migrants as she and her far-right Brothers of Italy party have made reducing immigration a key part of their agenda.
An African migrant, Mustapha Jarjou, who lives in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, told the BBC it heralds frightening times ahead: “I am very worried it’s going to create a lot of negative impact on the lives of migrants like me.”
The 24 year old, who is a spokesperson for the Gambian Community Association in Palermo, says the policy might fan divisions and hatred towards migrants.
He cites the murder in daylight of the disabled Nigerian street vendor, Alika Ogorchukwu, on the mainland in August as an example.
Italy is one of the main entry points into Europe and since the start of the year 70,000 migrants have arrived on boats on the country’s shores.
Ms Meloni wants to tighten the system for asylum seekers to choke off this irregular migration, which she says threatens the security and quality of life of its citizens.
She also wants to increase repatriations, target charity ships that rescue migrants who get into trouble during the Mediterranean crossing and has called for a naval blockade of North Africa.
Mr Jarjou’s journey to Italy – like that of many others – was incredibly dangerous.
He arrived here aged 17 in December 2016 having left his home in West Africa in search of a better life.
It is a miracle he made it – after leaving The Gambia and getting to Libya, his nightmare began as he was held there in prison on three occasions, each time managing to escape.
He survived a terrifying sea crossing on a dinghy before landing in Sicily, only to end up working as a farm labourer for very low pay in terrible conditions growing watermelons and tomatoes on the island’s hinterlands.
But his fortunes changed when he was issued with official documents, which he had applied for as an asylum seeker. This allowed him to move to Palermo to pursue his education.
He is currently in the second year of his nursing degree and hopes to work in a hospital in the city when he graduates.
If Ms Meloni makes good on her promises, it will be more difficult for migrants to make their status official.
“Documents are an important gateway into integration,” Mr Jarjou says – adding that without them many migrants will simply become “invisible” and be forced to eke out a bleak existence on the margins of Italian society.
He is especially worried about the threats to make it tougher for migrants to make sea crossings by criminalising charity rescue ships. This would simply lead to more deaths in the Mediterranean, he says.
