In Italy, the campaign "I Was a Foreigner" is calling on the government to give undocumented migrant workers stay permits. This, they say, would ensure that there are enough farmworkers to secure the harvest, without "under-the-table labor, illegal gangmastering, and exploitation."
34 migrants disembarked at the port of Lampedusa on Monday afternoon. Among them were 11 women, two of them pregnant. Before that, the island hadn't seen any migrant arrivals in three weeks. The migrants were transferred to the island's hotspot and will be placed under quarantine.
Fear of the novel coronavirus is growing among farmworkers near Foggia in southern Italy, the association ARCI has reported. A spokesman said that the migrant workers are now "staying in their shacks out of fear of catching COVID-19."
The organization Baobab Experience is calling on the Italian health ministry to make sure that homeless people -- both Italians and migrants -- are given shelter amid the coronavirus emergency. This, they say, is in the interest of public health.
NGO ship Alan Kurdi has rescued 150 migrants from two boats off the coast of Libya. It is the only private rescue ship operating in the region right now. The coronavirus emergency could make it difficult for the ship to find a port for disembarkation.
Migrants should be housed in reception centers even if they no longer meet the requirements for housing, the Italian interior ministry said in a circular sent to prefects amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Italy is one of the worst-hit countries in the ongoing global crisis with the novel coronavirus. Being also on the frontlines of migration to Europe, many asylum seekers are now finding themselves in particular need of help, as most Italian government departments are now effectively closed because of ongoing quarantine measures.
NGOs and local authorities in southern Italy have expressed concern for migrant farmworkers. Many have been left without a job and are living in dire conditions amid the coronavirus emergency.
What are the main changes concerning the renewal and release of stay permits for foreigners in Italy, following new decrees issued by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus? That's what Catholic charity Caritas explains in a new info sheet.
The number of migrants landing on Italy's coasts is dropping amid the coronavirus crisis, new government statistics show. In March, 241 migrants landed in Italy.
The UN agencies for refugees, migration, and human rights, and the World Health organization have released a statement, calling on countries worldwide to protect the rights and health of refugees, migrants and stateless people amid the coronavirus pandemic.
There were at least 5,303 people who died on their migration journeys last year, according to new data released by the Missing Migrants Project. The largest number of deaths were recorded on the African continent and on the Mediterranean route.