When you fly into the Italian island of Lampedusa, it looks like a lone dot with nothing but flat sea in all directions until the horizon. The Tunisian coast is 70 miles away, and it is terrifying to think of migrants crossing the expanse in tiny, overcrowded boats.

In September 2023, about 8,000 of them arrived in Lampedusa over 48 hours – more than the island’s entire population. It was a crisis for the government of Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni , who had campaigned on a promise to stop the boats.

Meloni flew in, and a crowd of locals blocked her motorcade, angry and scared that their island was being overwhelmed. New Feature

In Short

Quick Stories. Same trusted journalism.

I watched as she ignored her bodyguards and got out of her car to confront them. She told them

See Full Page