Right-wing Meloni isn't the only one calling for a continent-wide effort to deter and deport migrants who are ineligible to stay. EU officials themselves have pointed out that only 21% of ineligible migrants are sent back to their home countries, and in only 60% of cases do authorities contact those countries regarding repatriation. Italy has faced the brunt of this crisis for years, and it's time the 27-member block step up to help.
While Meloni's government uses tragedy to call for inhumane deportations, the real solution to this issue is investing in safe, legal routes to Italy. So long as these asylum seekers are deemed "illegal immigrants," they will continue to take unofficial, dangerous trips across the sea, leading to more and more preventable deaths.