Italy directs ship with 89 migrants to port

Italian authorities today granted the rescue ship Rise Above permission to dock in the southern city of Reggio Calabria on Monday, according to the German humanitarian group Mission Lifeline. The ship entered Italian waters over the weekend after rescuing 95 migrants from the Mediterranean Sea. Six of the migrants previously had to be evacuated while the boat was at sea. The ship is scheduled to arrive Tuesday.

Why does the ship need permission to dock? Italy takes a hard line with nongovernmental organizations operating in the central Mediterranean. The country has refused to assign a port of entry for migrant rescue ships. Instead, it assigns ports and only allows vulnerable people to disembark. Authorities then insist the boats return to international waters. Italy’s new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, demands the countries whose flags the ships fly take on the migrants they rescue.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report in WORLD magazine about people in the U.S. who are setting out a welcome mat for refugees from Afghanistan.