Italian govt faces uproar over migrant emergency

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's right-wing government on Saturday defended its decision to declare a nationwide state of emergency to deal with an influx of illegal immigrants after sharp criticism of the move.

Leftist lawmakers accused Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government of heightening fear and exaggerating the migrant problem by declaring the emergency on Friday, which gives police and local authorities added powers to tackle the issue.

"Where are the masses of illegal migrants pressing against the doors of our cities? And what are these risks for public order?" asked leftist lawmaker and former minister Rosy Bindi.

"The reality doesn't count for this government. What counts instead is the effect of announcements that serve to justify the climate of a police state."

Centrist lawmaker Rocco Buttiglone said Italy was not in need of "inhuman and extraordinary" measures and that the application of existing laws would suffice.

A chorus of other opposition lawmakers demanded the government address parliament to explain its surprise move.

Monsignor Agostino Marchetto, secretary of a Vatican council on migrant issues, joined the debate by saying the term "emergency" in itself was not negative but that Italy ought to respect the human rights of all migrants and refugees.

"NOISE"

Lawmakers from Berlusconi's People of Freedom coalition -- which swept to power in the April national election by promising a tough line on illegal immigration and crime -- dismissed the criticism from the left as irresponsible and overzealous.

"It's a lot of noise over nothing," Fabrizio Cicchitto, the head of Berlusconi's party in the lower house of parliament said, playing it down as an extension of existing policy.

A state of emergency was already in place in the southern regions of Calabria, Puglia and Sicily before Friday's decision.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, who will address parliament on the matter on Tuesday, defended the move as necessary to tackle a doubling of migrant arrivals on Italian shores and set up new holding centers for them.

Italy's long shoreline and proximity to Africa makes it a popular entry point into Europe for thousands of poor migrants who set sail from Africa in rickety, crowded boats each year.

More than 13,000 such migrants arrived on Italian shores in the first seven months of the year, up from over 8,000 last year. Aid workers acknowledge the numbers have risen after a falloff last year, but say they remain stable compared to previous years.

Immigration has jumped to the top of the political agenda in recent months after a spate of crimes linked to illegal migrants, prompting legislation by Berlusconi's government.

(Editing by Andrew Roche)