Austria Snubs EU Plea to Accept Lampedusa Illegal Immigrants

Austria Snubs EU Plea to Accept Lampedusa Illegal Immigrants
Illegal immigrants from the reception center board the Asso Trenta ship to be taken to the quarantine ship GNV Azzurra, in Lampedusa, Italy, on May 11, 2021. Antonio Parrinello/Reuters
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Austria on Tuesday rejected a plea for other European Union countries to accept illegal immigrants from Italy, following a surge in arrivals on Lampedusa that seems likely to expose deep-seated divisions across the bloc over migration.

More than 2,000 mostly African illegal immigrants have reached the tiny island off Italy’s southern coast by boat since Sunday, overwhelming its reception center.