France to deport 44 migrants rescued by ship in Italy row

PARIS: France has rejected asylum applications from 44 of the 234 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by an NGO ship, who will be returned to their country of origin, the interior minister said on Tuesday.

France allowed the Ocean Viking to disembark at its port of Toulon last Friday after Italy refused access, sparking a diplomatic row over how to handle the thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe from North Africa each year.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told parliament the 44 migrants would be deported “as soon as their health allows,” adding that others could also be sent home as more asylum claims are examined.

He said officials had determined that 60 of the migrants -- Syrians, Sudanese and Eritreans in particular -- could request asylum, and that 44 were minors.