Dec. 21, 2016

Italy Overwhelmed

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The Aegean route is mostly closed, but the migrants keep coming, from Eritrea, Ethiopia and elsewhere. They cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a country struggling to deal with the influx. A political crisis is blooming, and the country’s institutions are straining to keep up.

The Italian Coast Guard has its hands full responding to the barrage of calls for rescue placed over satellite phones by distressed migrants at sea. Local municipalities have no housing for the migrants who try to keep moving north, and the police face the gruesome task of identifying the waterlogged bodies of those who die before they reach shore.

The European Union’s flailing response to the migrant crisis is driving political upheaval in Italy, where voters are taking a critical look at the country’s membership in the union. Anti-European parties like the Five Star Movement and the Northern League led the opposition to a package of measures endorsed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi that voters rejected in a referendum on Dec. 4, prompting Mr. Renzi to resign.

Still, some Italians refuse to give up trying to help the migrants, seeing the humanity in their plight. These videos explore the overwhelmed Italian institutions, and the individuals fighting for the migrants.