Italy said today (June 14, 2015) it will ask the EU (European Union) to set up refugee processing camps in Libya, and threatened to "hurt" Europe, should it turn a deaf ear to the migrant crisis on its shores, according to the AFP (Agence France-Presse) website.
Italy is struggling to accommodate an endless wave of boat migrants, and a crackdown on security at the borders with France and Austria has exacerbated the situation, causing a bottleneck at Italy's train stations.
The crisis "should not be underestimated," Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said, as Austria, France, and Switzerland expelled asylum seekers back onto Italian soil. Renzi also threatened to "hurt" Europe -- without giving any specific details -- if other European nations do not join Italy in permanently housing the migrant refugees.
Over 57,000 migrants and asylum seekers from Libya and other northern African nations have been rescued at sea and brought to Italy so far this year -- up from 54,000 at the same time last year -- Renzi said, and Rome wants both a long-term solution and help from other countries now.
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