Thousands of migrants saved off of Italy

(Vatican Radio) Italian naval and coastguard vessels rescued more than 2,000 migrants travelling in boats from North Africa over the past 48 hours. The vessels were part of the Mare Nostrum taskforce, which operates off of southern Sicily, and was established in response to the hundreds of deaths which have happened as migrants and refugees try to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

The Director of the Italian Council for Refugees, Christopher Hein, said the Italian government has stepped up efforts to help sea bound migrants in the last year.

“More than 12,000 people have been rescued in the period from the end of October,” he told Vatican Radio. Hein said it was even more significant that no deaths have happened in the Italian region of the Mediterranean sence the Mare Nostrum operation began.

However, there are still problems of what happens after the migrants are rescued. Hein said he detention areas for processing asylum requests are now full.

“There are virtually no places,” he said.

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