There are already about 5,000 illegal Tunisian migrants now gathered on Italy’s Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, which is almost equal to the island’s indigenous population. The local center for immigrants can only handle 800 people. Many refugees are ready to pay more than 1,000 Euros for a boat ride to the island.
Tunisians started heading for the Italian coast in the immediate wake of the January 14 “Jasmine Revolution”, which forced their longtime president Zine al-Abidine ben Ali to flee the country.