EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged the swift return of irregular migrants and a crackdown on the “brutal business” of migrant smuggling Sunday during a visit with Italy's premier to a tiny fishing island overwhelmed with nearly 7,000 arrivals in a single day this week.
"We will decide who comes to the European Union, and under what circumstances. Not the smugglers,'' von der Leyen declared after touring the island's hotspot. The Red Cross said 1,500 migrants remained in the center built to accomodate hundreds.
