Italian Interior minister Matteo Salvini signed an order banning the Mare Jonio migrant transportation vessel from entering  national waters. The order refuses the Mare Jonio from entering, transiting or stopping in Italian waters, according to Lega party closed ports policy for NGO ships operating in Mediterranean to provide migrants from Libya coasts with reliable and effective transport to navigate to European ports.

Mediterranea Saving Humans, the Italian NGO running the ship, said the Italian coast guard had asked the authorities to offer a safe port for the vessel.
Mediterranea Saving Humans said its request for instructions regarding the rescue of 98 migrants by its Mare Ionio ship to the Italian sea rescue coordination center was responded ”as usual”, redirecting to the Libyan authorities.
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Mare Jonio completed the boarding of the 98 people from a dinghy that had been drifting off Libya. Among passengers there are 26 women, at least 8 of whom claim they are pregnant, 22 children under age 10 and at least six people claiming they are minors.

There are 500 million Africans without birth certificate or other identity document, according to the World Bank. Therefore it is impossible to establish their identities. European governments have adopted practice of attributing a fictitious date of birth to African migrants to integrate them into societies, and open access to social systems.