Italy sees sharp drop in illegal migration

Italy has witnessed a dramatic decline in seaborne illegal migration so far this year, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, reporting a significant decrease in asylum-seeker arrivals compared to last year.

New UNHCR figures revealed this week show a 62 percent drop in potential refugee arrivals to Italy this year, with about 35,700 people reaching the country as of Sunday, compared to more than 94,000 during the same period last year.

Italy had previously seen a consistent rise in arrivals since 2020, with numbers climbing from more than 67,000 in 2021 to more than 105,000 in 2022, peaking at nearly 158,000 last year — the highest yearly total since 2016.