EU pledges crackdown on ‘brutal’ migrant smuggling during visit to overwhelmed Italian island

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni visit the island of Lampedusa (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged the swift return of “irregular” migrants to their home countries and a crackdown on the “brutal business” of migrant smuggling during a visit with Italy’s premier to a tiny fishing island overwhelmed with nearly 7,000 arrivals in a single day this week.

Tensions have spiked on Lampedusa, which is closer to Tunisia than the Italian mainland, with residents expressing impatience with the constant flow of migrants trying to reach Europe from North Africa arriving on their shores — not just this week but for decades.