The idyllic Italian island of Lampedusa, halfway between Italy and Libya, once served as the first stop for most of Italy’s African immigrants.
 
But under a controversial deal with Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, the Italian government has closed this gateway to Europe, with patrol boats now intercepting and ‘pushing back’ migrants, including asylum seekers.  
 
This week on Dateline, video journalist Amos Roberts finds that the welcome for migrants now living in Italy is just as hostile.

According to Amnesty International, Italy has become the first country in Europe to turn unauthorised migration into a criminal offence. Under harsh new laws passed last month, doctors will be required to inform the authorities if patients come to them without the right documents.

The laws also authorise citizens' patrols, which human rights groups accuse of being vigilantes.

On the streets of Turin, Amos follows members of the anti-immigration party Northern League as they hunt down immigrants who've turned to crime. These citizen patrols are often organised by politicians, like Mario Borghezio, the Member of the European Parliament for the Northern League, which seeks to capitalise on locals’ fear of foreigners.
 
Meanwhile, on the streets of Naples, Roma families have had their homes burned down by Italians fed-up with the newcomers.
 
A West African woman who attends a church outside Naples tells Amos, “It’s very hard… because the Italian people want us to leave, they don’t want us to stay here… They are racists,” she says.

On air: 26th July 2009