Lampedusa, an island located between Sicily and Tunisia, is one of the main entry points for migrants travelling from North Africa, particularly from Tunisia and Libya, seeking refuge and improved living conditions in Europe.

The reception center, known as the Centro di Primo Accoglienza, was initially designed to hold about 400 people. However, it has repeatedly been overwhelmed, at times hosting thousands of migrants simultaneously. In 2024 alone, 45,997 migrants arrived in Lampedusa, with daily arrivals often exceeding 1000. 

The reception center, also referred to as a hotspot, lacks adequate infrastructure, such as facilities for registration, medical care and security checks to accommodate a large number of refugees. As a result, the influx of migrants – often exceeding 3 to 4 times the capacity of the hotspot – has created an emergency crisis, worsening the living situation of migrants who report insufficient access to clean water, food, and medical care. 

To further worsen the situation, Italy decided in 2023 to extend the detention period from three to 18 months, generating a permanent state of overcrowding due to the extremely slow processing of asylum claims. Although the government has extended the detention period to ensure compliance with immigration law, such decision has instead worsened the living conditions: hotspots have been turned into de facto long-term detention centers where immigrants are detained in inhumane unsanitary facilities, sleeping on the floor and lacking access to functioning bathrooms.

The Italian government’s decision to extend the detention period has further deteriorated conditions in the Lampedusa hotspot, violating international humanitarian standards.

A list of countries – originally 22, now 19 – deemed safe by the Italian government has been established based on Italian immigration laws, which allow for the return of individuals who do not demonstrate risks of persecution. If migrants are nationals of one of these “safe” countries and their asylum claims are rejected, they might experience a shorter detention period while awaiting deportation. The significant issue with this list is that it only considers whether a country is enduring an open conflict and does not take into account the political turmoil, social instability, or other factors that may put individuals at risk in countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, and Bangladesh. For instance, migrants returning to their home countries might face persecution based on their religion or ethnicity or might be discriminated against for the mere fact of trying to flee the country in the first place.

As a result, Italy has created a system of automatic detention of migrants based on their nationality and not on an individual assessment, violating international law. Article 33 of the 1952 Refugee Convention prohibits states from “penalising” migrants who enter illegally, including detention, which Italy has unlawfully implemented. Additionally, Italy has the obligation to respect the principle of non-refoulement, present in Article 33 of the same convention. This principle prohibits the expulsion or repatriation of a refugee to territories where his or her life or freedom might be at risk.

Recently, Italy has concluded two bilateral agreements with Albania and Tunisia that have caused great concern to the international community, potentially threatening a violation of such principle of non-refoulement.

Italy has entered into these bilateral agreements with the aim of reducing migration flows and ensuring the relocation of migrants who fail to seek asylum, sending them back to their country of origin or transferring them to facilities located in other countries such as Albania. Nonetheless, the concern lies in the conditions these migrants may encounter upon return. Italy had already signed similar agreements with Libya in 2017, allowing for the return of migrants to Libyan detention centers, where they endured severe human rights abuses, including violence, torture, and exploitation.

The relocation issue is the most pressing challenge the Italian government faces. The European Union lacks a binding relocation mechanism for migrants, which is difficult to introduce due to the unanimity voting system and the resistance of Member States who do not want to host the quota of migrants. This vacuum within E.U. policies undermines solidarity among Member States and leaves Italy and other front-line Member States to bear the burden alone. That is because the current E.U. asylum policy is the Dublin Regulation, which stipulates that migrants must apply for asylum in the first E.U. country they enter. Other Member States can voluntarily decide to accept a certain number of migrants, but there is no binding relocation mechanism in place. In May 2024, the E.U. adopted a new pact on migration and asylum that fails to cover relocation issues, which are of main concern. 

To address the migration crisis in Lampedusa, there is the need for solutions that can balance the needs of all parties involved: safeguarding migrants’ human rights while also alleviating the burden posed on local resources and facilities.

Most importantly, migrants have fundamental rights that cannot be compromised. Italy has to uphold its international obligations to provide adequate reception centres and, above all, the opportunity for migrants to seek asylum.

To address such issues, both short-term and long-term solutions can be found. 

One potential short-term solution that can ease the strain on the hotspot in Lampedusa is the establishment of additional reception centres. Three other reception centres are already operating in Italy-Pozzallo, Messina and Taranto — between which relocation is already taking place. However, the combined capacity of the four hotspots amounts to 1230 spots, roughly the number of migrants arriving every day on the shores of Lampedusa. Hence, the creation of other temporary shelters to relocate migrants awaiting their asylum claims to be processed can effectively relieve the immediate pressures on the centre in Lampedusa. 

Other short-term resolutions lie in the increase of E.U. funding and personnel. More funds are needed to create temporary shelters and additional medical units that provide appropriate medical assistance and psychological support for trauma victims. Additionally, increased personnel is needed for logistical support to improve the registration system and, more specifically, enhanced collaboration with U.N.H.C.R. staff is vital to help in a number of areas, such as interpretation, educating migrants about their rights, and — above all — ensuring the protection of refugees and humanitarian aid, helping governments enforce asylum laws, and guaranteeing impartial processes.

On the other hand, long-term solutions lie in stronger collaboration among states and international organisations to create safe and legal pathways for migration, counter human smuggling networks and prevent sea crossing through dangerous routes. By expanding the possibility of legal migration, irregular migration can be reduced, together with the number of deaths of people fleeing in search for better opportunities. 

Lastly, the most crucial long-term solution must be found in increased solidarity and burden-sharing among E.U. Member States. As one of the front-line countries, the most affected by migration flows, Italy is in need of greater commitment from the E.U. An agreement among E.U. Member States to establish a refugee relocation mechanism is imperative to distribute the responsibility of migrant management more equitably. The Dublin Regulation must be reformed to include binding obligations for Member States to host a proportional quota of migrants. Only through this collective approach can the E.U. be effective in aiding front-line countries and addressing the migration crisis. 

Migrants in Lampedusa are living in deplorable conditions in a centre that exceeds its maximum by three to four times. Italy is under immense pressure, struggling to provide shelter for all those approaching the shores of Lampedusa in accordance with international humanitarian standards. Only through Italy’s will to uphold international standards, the expansion of legal pathways of asylum, enhanced E.U. involvement, and an effective mechanism of relocation can the burden be alleviated and migrants are granted the dignity and protection they deserve.