Italy’s Salvini Jets to Libya, Negotiates Deal to Stop Illegal Migrants

Italy’s new anti-establishment Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini jetted to Libya to strike a deal with the UN-backed government to combat people-smugglers and illegal immigration Monday.

Salvini, who leads the Lega party which forms one half of Italy’s new populist coalition government and acts as its minister of the interior, shared the details of his visit on his Facebook page, which he uses to reach millions of supporters directly.

“I am proud to have chosen Libya as the first official overseas visit as the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy… to confront the whole problem of undercover illegal immigration from Libya to Italy,” Salvini declared.

“The Italian government will uphold the need to protect the frontiers to the south of Libya, because neither Italy nor Libya can be alone in shouldering the burden of this illegal immigration,” he insisted.

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