"This is a surprise visit to show the reality of a country that does not control its borders and where anyone enters. From 26 September we will return to being a welcoming and hospitable country with those who deserve it but who respect and enforce the rules. It's a security issue. "
Matteo Salvini said this when explaining his 'blitz' at the Lampedusa hotspot, speaking of "shameful trafficking in human beings".
The deputy mayor of the League, Attilio Lucia, who accompanied him spoke of a "false welcome".
"We arrived in Lampedusa without notifying anyone - explained Salvini during a live Facebook - because last time when we came they had cleaned up and emptied. This is the situation, a massacre. This is not welcome, it is chaos, human trafficking, exploitation. This is a billion-euro business. "
"This center - observed the leader of the League - could accommodate 350 people, more than 1,300, four times as many, piled up everywhere. Here, controlling landings, borders, means saving lives and protecting Italians. I can't wait to return to do so from 25 September ".
"Here is a little girl who could be the daughter of any of us sleeping on the floor - he added he - and she should be in a house."
These are unworthy images of a civilized country and I wonder where the Minister of the Interior is.
This is not welcoming.
In recent years the Democratic Party has dealt with it with the results we have behind us ".