Migrants arriving on Italy’s shores has doubled this year. Meanwhile Italy’s new Prime Minister Meloni promised a firmer grasp on immigration. But her efforts have not slowed the arrivals. Forcing the government to ask for help from the very NGOs it has tried to stop in past. Yet, Rome’s broad anti-migration law remains the same. A controversial rule passed in February prevents rescue ships from carrying out consecutive operations. Resulting in grounding boats at a time when the country is struggling to handle increasing arrivals could sound counterintuitive to some, but others say it reflects the ongoing dispute between the rightwing coalition government led by Meloni and the NGOs. For example: Rome recently asked NGO Open Arms to help them with rescue operations for six migrant vessels – a situation many organizations called paradoxical. Welcome to ‘ADRIFT IN A SEA OF RED TAPE’ .