Poll: 73% of Italians want illegal migrants deported
A new poll by Euromedia Research found that 73 percent of Italians think people in the country illegally should be sent home, a view that reaches across party lines. The survey was published by the newspaper Il Giornale.
- The poll, run by Euromedia Research under Alessandra Ghisleri, surveyed 800 adults between June 26 and 29; 73 percent backed repatriating irregular migrants and 57 percent viewed migrant boat landings negatively.
- Ghisleri said even a significant share of the center-left electorate holds the same view, making it a rare point of cross-party agreement in a divided politics.
- Asked about priorities, Italians named tighter border control at 33 percent, cooperation with migrants' countries of origin at 25 percent, and a balance of control, cooperation and integration at 22 percent.
Why it mattersItaly sits on the front line of the Mediterranean crossing, and its politics has fought over migration for a decade. A figure like 73 percent, holding across left and right, says the argument in Europe is no longer whether to tighten the borders but how fast, and it explains why even center-left governments across the continent keep drifting rightward on the issue.
Euromedia Research poll, publis… ↗ · Jul 7, 2026 · ✓ Checked