VENTIMIGLIA, an Italian city bordering France, has seen hundreds of refugees and illegal immigrant coming into their territory.
At the Italian-French border, the French police has tightened up and many immigrants were intercepted and repatriated to Italy.
Jacob Columba, the head of a non-governmental rescue organization in Ventimiglia City, told CCTV that they provide aid to dozens to hundreds of deported immigrants.
Columba said around 100 to 150 people are being deported everyday, but the number of migrants stranded in Ventimiglia is around 300 to 400, but in the past few days, the number exceeded more than 400.
This number, according to Columba, is probably the largest number of people entering the city in the past five years.
Some fleeing people also chose more risky paths to avoid inspections, such as some narrow and steep mountain trails. However, the continued arrival of illegal immigrants has also impacted local social security and environment of the small city, and some residents feel hard to accept it.
‘‘Even if they want to change clothes, they should take their things away. This can’t be done. In addition to the mess here, there are also people over there who throw cigarette butts around,’’ according to Franco, Resident, Ventimiglia City.
Flavio Di Mura, the City Mayor also highlighted the negative impact brought by the surging refugees and illegal immigrants.
‘‘What the city is saying is, unlike what people think, our citizens are suffering the consequences of these immigrants coming here. [We want] increased military presence and law enforcement. That’s what we’re saying,’’ Flavio Di Muro, Mayor, Ventimiglia City.
Italy is one of the main landing places for groups fleeing war-torn areas in Africa and the Middle East heading to Europe.
According to data released by the Italian Interior Ministry, as of October 2, more than 130,000 immigrants and refugees had arrived in Italy this year, nearly double the number in the same period last year.
France and Italy have both chosen a blockade policy with intensified law enforcement facing the humanitarian crisis and political crisis caused by refugee surge, however, some citizens believe that this cannot fundamentally solve the problem.
‘‘I don’t think the immigration problem can be solved [by blocking]. We send weapons [to Africa] and let them kill each other instead of providing them with the tools to farm. We create war there, which will only force these poor people to come to Europe and other countries,’’ according also to Fabio Silvestri, Truck Driver.
