Migrants have crossed the Mediterranean for centuries – but they used to head from north to south

By Felicita Tramontana

The appointment of Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right Lega party, as Italy’s new interior minister, has already lead to a showdown on migration in the Mediterranean. For the first time, Italy refused to a let a boat carrying migrants rescued at sea dock at its ports, amid an increasingly bitter stalemate over migration policy within the European Union. Similar standoffs have continued with two other boats.