Thousands of people are stuck between Tunisia and Italy within a migration system designed to hold them back. How do current policies affect migrants, and what can regional actors change to promote the region’s sustainability?
The route between Tunisia and Italy is considered the deadliest migration pathway in the world. Despite this, asylum seekers from African countries continue to attempt the journey—either by paying large sums to smugglers or making the perilous crossing on their own, further endangering their safety. Those who survive the journey often find themselves stranded at “chokepoints” in Tunisia and Italy, where European policies create additional barriers to their entry into Europe. Isolated from migrant camps and with weakened support from non-governmental aid organizations, they are forced to wait for long periods in precarious conditions.
Ten students from the Journalism Laboratory of Panteion University, alongside Associate Professor Pantelis Vatikiotis, participated in the CSIS Journalism Bootcamp, which took place in December 2024 in Washington, D.C.. Guided by a team of mentors and staff from the CSIS iDeas Lab, the ten students produced a multimedia story on migration chokepoints in the Central Mediterranean, which was originally published by CSIS on January 28, 2025.
