Inside Lampedusa’s “hotspot” – Vatican News

By Gabriella Ceraso and Franco Piroli – Lampedusa

Working with humanity and welcoming everyone who crosses the Mediterranean. These are the principles guiding the Italian Red Cross, which officially took over the management of the Contrada Imbriacola hotspot in Lampedusa on 1 June 2023. Since then, more than 182,000 migrants have passed through the centre after crossings that are often fatal. It remains the main first landing point along the Central Mediterranean route.

Tucked between the hills, away from the bustle of the town centre, the hotspot sits in a narrow valley. It is guarded by law enforcement officers and accessed through a large grey electronic gate.

Beyond the offices of the authorities and humanitarian organisations, including Save the Children, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a multidisciplinary team is at work. Cultural mediators are an essential part of that team. They are present from the moment people disembark at the pier, accompanying them through every stage of identification and the subsequent transfer process. Many are former migrants themselves, once hosted at the centre before training to work in reception services.

Grey buildings, perimeter fencing and the occasional rusty piece of playground equipment frame the space through which people pass, often arriving confused, exhausted and sometimes unwell. The first area includes benches and covered shelters equipped with power sockets and computer terminals, followed by medical clinics, toilets, temporary accommodation units, a canteen with an in-house kitchen capable of serving meals to up to 120 people at a time, and even a tent set aside for prayer and worship.

Accommodation is divided between minors, women, men and families. That same organisation is reflected on the ground, where signs and white lines mark the orderly queues for meal distribution, except during periods of overcrowding, which staff continue to work hard to prevent.

The transformation into a hotspot

The history of this site, enclosed by tall trees and a retaining wall, is closely intertwined with the evolution of migration across the Central Mediterranean and with Italian and European reception policies.

The facility was established in the early 2000s as a First Reception and Assistance Centre (CPSA), in response to the growing number of migrants and asylum seekers arriving on the island. Its purpose was to provide a place where those rescued at sea could receive initial identification, medical care and temporary shelter.

Over the years, the centre has been expanded, renovated and repurposed several times to cope with increasing arrivals. It has also been the focus of protests and criticism, particularly during the migration crises of 2011, 2020 and 2023. In September 2023 alone, 12,500 people arrived in a single day, while throughout that summer the hotspot hosted an average of 3,000 people every day.

In 2015, under the European Agenda on Migration promoted by the European Commission, the centre was formally incorporated into the so-called “hotspot” system. These facilities were conceived as frontline reception centres where identification, fingerprinting, medical assistance and the first stages of asylum or return procedures are carried out.

Red Cross: “We are the first place where people can feel safe”

“People often arrive here without even knowing where they are,” explains our guide, Imad Dalil, director of the hotspot. In the reception area, a large map of Italy displays an arrow pointing to the tiny Mediterranean island where they have landed, alongside general information and a list of available services.

For almost everyone, the first priority is to connect to the Wi-Fi, make a phone call, send a message, and let family and friends know they are safe—or simply hear from them.

“Here we try to provide everyone with the best possible care, especially psychological support, because the stories people tell us about their journeys and the time they spent in Libya are stories of immense suffering. They need human closeness, they need to feel safe, and they need the opportunity to begin imagining a new life.”

Interview with Imad Dalil, Director of Lampedusa’s “hotspot”

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