21 Algerian would-be-illegal immigrants arrested

Algerian coast guards said they caught 21 people offshore Wednesday night trying to reach Italy.

• “The would-be- immigrants were arrested at around 11:30 pm,” said coast guards Commander Mahmoud Cheriak.
• The phenomenon of illegal immigration from Algeria to Europe appears to be on the rise. A recent Algerian navy report indicates that the number of people who perished during the crossing and whose bodies have been recovered has risen steadily over the last two years, to 73 in 2006 from 29 in 2005 and 83 in 2007.
• Italy remains one of the main entry points used by would-be immigrants attempting to reach Europe. Figures show that illegal immigration wave went up to 24,000 in January-September this year compared to 14,000 over the same period in 2007.
• Italian authorities said Friday they caught over 650 African illegal immigrants in Italy’s southernmost island of Lampedusa.
• They took them to a camp for refugees on the island which shelters 1,000 people.