Italian authorities on Tuesday detained 70 undocumented Egyptian migrants on board an Italy-bound boat, Egypt's Foreign Ministry has reported.
Italy has detained 48 other Egyptians on two vessels near Sicily over the past three days, according to Assistant Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdel Hakam.
Italian authorities agreed not to refer the migrants for trial and instead deport them back home, thanks to connections with the Egyptian embassy in Rome, Hakam pointed out.
In a statement on Tuesday, Hakam warned of the consequences of irregular immigration to Italy, and reminded that European laws penalize the practice and punish violators with fines, detention and deportation.
He said that Italian laws incriminate housing, employing and assisting undocumented immigrants with fines and imprisonment.
Hakam also stressed the need to increase penalties for undocumented migration facilitators.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
