(AFP) Italy’s interior ministry ordered Saturday that all migrants be transferred out of a tiny southern town that had welcomed them but which triggered a national debate on integration after its mayor was arrested.
Domenico Lucano, the left-leaning mayor of Riace, made headlines around the world for welcoming migrants to the sparsely-populated town in Calabria in a bid to boost jobs and development.
But earlier this month, he was placed under house arrest on charges of involvement in organising “marriages of convenience” for asylum purposes.
Known as Mimmo, the mayor has also been accused of skipping a tender process to award a rubbish management contract to co-operatives with ties to migrants.
