The rescue service says the coast is currently being patrolled for survivors on another drifting boat that reportedly departed from neighboring Morocco. Tens of thousands of people seeking better lives are expected to trek across deserts and board unseaworthy boats in war-torn Libya this year in a desperate effort to reach European shores by way of Italy. Some European leaders are warning of a fresh migration crisis when sea waters warm again and more people choose to put their lives in the hands of smugglers. The 28-nation EU already has a controversial deal to stem the flow of migrants from Turkey, which has agreed to try to stop the number of migrants leaving the country and to take back thousands more in exchange for billions of euros to help Syrian refugees in Turkey, visa-free travel for its citizens and fast-track EU membership talks. [...] the EU wants to adapt this outsourcing pact to the African nations whose migrants are trying to reach Europe, despite criticism that the agreement sends asylum-seekers back to countries that could be unsafe for them. The number of people arriving in the Greek islands, for instance, plunged over the last year despite political wrangling over whether Turkey's government was respecting the EU's conditions. [...] EU nations have even fewer scruples about turning away migrants who take the central Mediterranean route to Italy since they mostly are job seekers who would be ineligible for asylum. In his Sunday noon blessing, Francis recalled that the theme of this year's migrant day message concerned the vulnerability of young migrants — "our young brothers" whom often flee home alone and face "so many dangers."
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