EU and Italian leaders tour tiny Lampedusa as tensions rise over surge in migrant arrivals

MILAN (AP) — EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Sunday toured a migrant center on Italy’s southernmost island of Lampedusa that was overwhelmed with nearly 7,000 arrivals in a 24-hour period this week. Tensions have spiked on the island in the days since, with residents expressing impatience with the constant flow of migrants trying to reach Europe from North Africa arriving on their shores, with occasional spikes, for decades. The crisis is challenging unity within the European Union and also Meloni’s far-right-led government. The number of migrants making the perilous sea journey to Italy has doubled over last year and is on pace to reach record numbers hit in 2016.