Illegal immigrants to Italy via Tunisian coasts drop by 4.5% in 2023

The number of illegal immigrants who reached Italy via the Tunisian coasts has dropped by 4.5 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, according to data released by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

"In 2023, some 17,322 illegal immigrants arrived at Italian shores from the Tunisian coasts, compared to 18,148 immigrants a year before," said Islam Gharbi, member of the Migration Department within the FTDES.

Gharbi made the remarks during a press conference held in the capital Tunis to present the annual report on protest movements, illegal immigration, suicide cases and attempts and violence.

Gharbi added that the number of dead and missing off Tunisian coasts increased in 2023 to 1,313 people of different nationalities, while the number of dead and missing in the Mediterranean basin rose to 1,793.

During 2023, the Tunisian authorities foiled more than 6,000 illegal immigration attempts and arrested 80,000 illegal immigrants on the Tunisian coasts, 18 percent of them are Tunisian nationals.

Thousands of illegal immigrants attempt to cross the Mediterranean every year via Tunisia, which is one of the main points of access to Europe through irregular channels.