Italy’s lawmakers on Tuesday began work on a contested immigration crackdown, part of the right-wing government’s plan to discourage thousands of migrants who risk voyages in smugglers' unseaworthy boats to reach Europe.
The Italian Senate's scheduled evening debate on the proposed legislation comes on the heels of President Sergio Mattarella appealing to the entire European Union to overhaul what he described as the 27-nation bloc's “prehistoric” immigration and asylum rules.
