The populist Italian government will spend 42 million euros of public funds on migrant returns that were previously set aside for their reception, interior minister Matteo Salvini told reporters in Rome on Thursday.
"A business that made a few individuals rich at the expense of many has now become an investment in security and migrant returns," Salvini said.
Earlier on Thursday, Salvini issued new tougher criteria for government representatives and officials assessing political asylum claims in Italian towns and cities. Out of 43,000 claims for asylum, only 7 percent of migrants were refugees, while a further 5 percent were entitled to protection, Salvini said.
