As many European countries welcome Ukrainians fleeing war, recent charges against a migrant advocate in Rome offer a reminder that popular anti-migration sentiments persist across Europe.
Andrea Costa, the president of Rome-based migration nonprofit Baobab Experience, was recently acquitted on charges of facilitating illegal migration – a form of migrant smuggling.
Costa and two volunteers with Baobab Experience faced up to 18 years in prison after they purchased bus tickets for African migrants trying to travel from Rome to Genoa in 2016.