Italian authorities arrested 106 illegal Egyptian migrants on Thursday, 7 July, on board a boat near Sicily, Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs and Egyptians Abroad Mohamed Abdel Hakam announced.
The efforts of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Rome resulted in the Italian authorities approving their deportation to Egypt, Abdel Hakam said in a statement on Saturday.
He added that the Italian authorities are currently questioning ten of the boat's crew accused of facilitating illegal migration to Italy, in addition to nine who rioted in the illegal immigrants' shelter.
Abdel Hakam warned of the dire consequences of illegal migration, as European laws criminalize it and impose penalties such as fines, prison and deportation for illegal migrants and those who help them.
He stressed the necessity to enact laws to tighten penalties for illegal migration brokers and those who deceive Egyptian citizens.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
