ROME – France today deployed a customs police helicopter to its southern border with Italy, where anti-terror ground vehicles were already positioned as part of measures to strengthen border controls and respond to a recent surge in migrant and refugee arrivals on the island of Lampedusa.
However, the local administration denied that an anti-terrorist operation was underway, stating only that the border forces were working as usual to arrest irregular migrants and return them to Italy, in which the army was helping them with an increased presence, Ansa reported.
The helicopter flew over Pont Saint-Lidovic and Ponte San Luigi on the French and Italian sides of the border, which is a popular crossing point for people passing through Italy on their way to more northern European countries.
Controls have reportedly been increased on rail traffic between Ventimiglia and Nice, as well as on trains between Ventimiglia and Cuneo and between Brela and Nice.
With this, according to Ansa, Paris fulfilled its promise to strengthen police forces along the border between France and Italy to prevent irregular migrant crossings, which last week were said to be on the rise.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanen said the flow had increased by 100 percent, affecting the entire Alps region.
The lifting of the border occurred after Darmanen met with his Italian counterpart Matteo Piantedosi in Rome at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss European cooperation in the field of migration.
“France stands by Italy in the fight against irregular immigration,” Darmanen emphasized after the meeting, reports Tanjug.
