As reported by Deutsche Welle, the state of emergency grants law enforcement agencies and local authorities additional powers to combat illegal immigration. Until now, it was only in effect in the provinces of Sicily, Apulia, and Calabria.
The new conservative government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi promised during the election campaign to take the most decisive measures against illegal immigration. A few days ago, a security decree came into force, providing for significantly harsher penalties for violators of the immigration regime. The detention periods for persons illegally staying in Italy have been nearly tripled, up to four years in prison for failing to comply with an order to leave the Apennine peninsula. In addition, the decree provides for military patrols in major Italian cities and fingerprinting.
The left opposition sharply opposed the decision of the Italian government. The Vatican reacted negatively to Rome's decision. The Vatican's Migration Council called on the Italian government to respect the human rights of all migrants. And Volker Beck, a member of the German Bundestag from the Green Party, said in an interview with AFP that the European Commission should check whether the actions of the Italian government comply with the standards of EU law.