European nation’s turn to conservatism leads to stunning drop in illegal immigration

Italy’s conservative government has worked hard to reduce illegal immigration over the past year, resulting in a 64% drop in the figures.

“It is not easy. We have worked hard to achieve this goal,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo.

“We are very happy about this. We are not against legal immigration, but against illegal immigration,” he clarified.

“Human traffickers are the main part of the crime. They are human traffickers, arms traffickers, drug traffickers. They (belong to) the same organization, but we have to be very strong and fight against these organizations, and we are doing that.”

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Giorgia Meloni is seen during a press conference. Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right and national-conservative Fratelli dItalia (Brothers of Italy) party, commented on the party’s victory in the Italian elections, held on September 25, 2022, at the Parco Principi Hotel in Rome. (Valeria Ferraro/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Tajani said the decline was due to financial deals with Tunisia, Libya and other North African countries. It was a move criticized by some but praised by others, including a member of the other side of the political spectrum, British Prime Minister Kier Starmer.

Last year, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke to Bartiromo about the political climate in Europe, including the growing influence of the conservative movement, which continues to play a role in the political debate.

There she spoke poignantly about human trafficking fueled by illegal immigration from North African countries.

“We have to fight the traffickers,” she said at the time. “What the traffickers are doing is unbelievable. These organizations are becoming more and more powerful and they are using their power and the money they have against the state. We cannot allow a mafia to decide who comes to our countries.”

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Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani discussed foreign policy and other pressing topics on “Sunday Morning Futures.” (Fox News)

Meloni pointed out that the instability – the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war – has opened the eyes of many citizens and allowed them to see the differences between right- and left-wing policies.

Tajani commented on the apparent shift to the right and its consequences, telling Bartiromo that the Italian economy is in better shape now than under the previous leadership.

“The economy is going up in Italy now. We are not very happy, but we are happy because there is less unemployment and the stock market is going up. We have to do more… in the coming year we have to raise taxes less (lower taxes). That is important. That is our strategy.”

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