Seven out of 10 Italians think the country has too many migrants while 43 percent believe they’re stealing jobs from Italians, according a new Ipsos poll.
Around 67 percent of people who took part in the survey believe “a strong leader is needed to defend the [Italian] people,” Ipsos chief Nando Pagnoncelli told news agency ANSA, while adding that many people consider immigration to be an attack on the country.
Italy has become a popular destination for African migrants in recent years. More than 100,000 migrant arrivals have been recorded in 2016, according to Missing Migrants. At least 2,353 people have drowned during their journeys.
Arrivals dropped 80 percent in July and August but went up again in September due to a power struggle in the Libyan port of Sabratha, a known hub for human traffickers.
The Italian government has considered a “nuclear option” to get rid of migrants by issuing temporary visas that would allow them to move freely across Europe. (RELATED: Italy Considers ‘Nuclear Option’ To Ease Growing Migrant Crisis)
“Letting migrants travel once they reach Italy would create a real problem for our EU neighbors,” Luigi Manconi, an Italian senator with the ruling Democratic Party, told The Times in July. “But I hope it would force France to confront the migrant problem head on.”
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