COUNTRY TO ANOTHER IS NEVER EASY

FOR MIGRANTS FORCED TO DEPART OR

EVEN FLEE THEIR HOMES DUE TO

WANT OR WAR OR PERSECUTION.

BUT ONE PARTICULAR PATH WITHIN

EUROPE HAS BECOME ESPECIALLY

TREACHEROUS, THOUGH NOT ENOUGH

SO TO STOP THE FLOW OF PEOPLE ON

A QUEST FOR A BETTER LIFE.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL

CORRESPONDENT CHRISTOPHER

LIVESAY AND VIDEOGRAPHER

ALESSANDRO PAVONE HAVE OUR

REPORT FROM THE ITALIAN AND

FRENCH ALPS.

>> Reporter: THESE ARE THE

FOOTSTEPS OF PEOPLE IN SEARCH OF

A BETTER LIFE.

THEY'VE ALREADY TRAVELED

THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM

CAMEROON, SENEGAL, CÔTE

D'IVOIRE, AND GAMBIA.

NOW, THEY'RE ATTEMPTING TO CROSS

THE ALPS FROM ITALY TO FRANCE,

RISKING LIFE AND LIMB IN

FREEZING TEMPERATURES, ON

SLIPPERY GROUND.

THEY MOVE AT NIGHT IN ORDER TO

EVADE DETECTION.

IN THIS BORDER REGION, IT'S A

NIGHTLY OCCURRENCE.

THESE YOUNG MEN ARE NOT USED TO

THE BITING COLD.

THESE ARE THE SAME MIGRANTS WHO

RISKED THEIR LIVES CROSSING THE

SCORCHING SANDS OF THE SAHARA

DESERT, AND THEN THE TREACHEROUS

WATERS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

NOW, THEY'RE RISKING THEIR LIVES

ALL OVER AGAIN-- THIS TIME, TO

CROSS THE ALPS.

AN ESTIMATED 10,000 PEOPLE HAVE

CROSSED THROUGH THIS TREACHEROUS

MOUNTAIN PASS IN THE PAST YEAR.

DRIVING THEM IS THE CHANCE AT A

BETTER FUTURE IN MORE PROSPEROUS

FRANCE OR OTHER NORTHERN

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

IN THE SAME PERIOD, AID GROUPS

IN THE ALPS HAVE RESCUED MORE

THAN 5,000 MIGRANTS, SOME WHO

LOST LIMBS DUE TO FROSTBITE.

PAOLO NARCISI IS A DOCTOR AND

THE PRESIDENT OF RAINBOW FOR

AFRICA, AN ITALIAN CHARITY THAT

PROVIDES THEM WITH MEDICAL AID.

>> ( translated ): OFTENTIMES

THEY LOSE THEIR WAY, AND THEY

TAKE ROUTES THAT ARE EXTREMELY

DANGEROUS.

SOMETIMES THEY GO WITHOUT PROPER

WINTER CLOTHING OR WITHOUT

HAVING EVER SEEN SNOW BEFORE.

WE FEAR MANY HAVE DIED IN THE

PROCESS.

SEVERAL BODIES HAVE BEEN FOUND.

BUT WE'LL NEVER KNOW THE TRUE

DEATH TOLL BECAUSE THERE ARE

WOLVES AND FOXES, ANIMALS THAT

EAT CADAVERS.

WHEN YOU FALL INTO A CREVASSE

COVERED BY SNOW, THERE'S NO

GUARANTEE SOMEONE WILL FIND YOUR

BODY DURING THE SPRING THAW.

>> Reporter: TO UNDERSTAND WHY

MIGRANTS ARE TAKING SUCH DEADLY

RISKS, YOU HAVE TO LOOK BACK TO

2015.

AT THE TIME, FRANCE'S BORDERS

WERE OPEN TO ITS NEIGHBORS,

ACCORDING TO E.U. PROTOCOLS.

THEN CAME DEVASTATING TERROR

ATTACKS IN PARIS THAT KILLED 130

PEOPLE.

WHILE MOST OF THE ATTACKERS WERE

FRENCH OR BELGIAN CITIZENS,

INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE THAT AT

LEAST TWO OF THEM POSED AS

REFUGEES TO ENTER EUROPE.

AFTER THE ATTACKS, THE BORDERS

WERE CLOSED.

THEN, LAST SPRING, FRENCH POLICE

BEGAN CRACKING DOWN ON

UNDOCUMENTED CROSSINGS.

DUE TO ITS RUGGED TERRAIN, ONE

AREA THAT POLICE COULDN'T SEAL

OFF COMPLETELY WAS HERE IN THE

ALPS.

BUT MIGRANTS SAY NO MATTER HOW

BLEAK THEIR PROSPECTS IN FRANCE,

THEY ARE EVEN WORSE IN ITALY,

WHERE ANTI-MIGRANT SENTIMENT HAS

BEEN BUILDING.

A SO-CALLED SECURITY LAW

RECENTLY PASSED BY PARLIAMENT

DOUBLES THE TIME UNDOCUMENTED

MIGRANTS CAN BE DETAINED AND

ELIMINATES HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS

FOR GRANTING ASYLUM TO MIGRANTS

UNLESS THEY'RE SPECIFICALLY

RUNNING FROM POLITICAL

PERSECUTION OR WAR.

THAT MEANS NO MORE ASYLUM FOR

VICTIMS OF GRAVE POLITICAL

INSTABILITY, FAMINE OR HARSH

ANTI-GAY LAWS IN THEIR HOME

COUNTRIES.

THE LAW WAS DESIGNED BY ITALY'S

RECENTLY ELECTED VICE PREMIER

AND INTERIOR MINISTER: MATTEO

SALVINI.

HE'S ALSO THE LEADER OF THE

ANTI-MIGRANT LEAGUE PARTY.

>> ( translated ): YOU'RE NOT

FLEEING WAR.

YOU'RE NOT ESCAPING TORTURE.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO?

GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY.

WE ALREADY HAVE FIVE MILLION

ITALIANS LIVING IN POVERTY, SO I

CAN'T HOST HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS

OF OTHER PEOPLE FROM THE REST OF

THE WORLD.

>> Reporter: HAVING BEEN DENIED

ASYLUM ON HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS,

UNDER THIS NEW LAW, MIGRANTS ARE

INELIGIBLE TO ACCESS SHELTERS.

U.N. AGENCIES FEAR THAT

THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS WILL END

UP ON THE STREETS.

THIS AS HATE IS ON THE RISE.

LUNARIA, AN ITALIAN CIVIL

SOCIETY GROUP, RECORDED 126

RACIALLY-MOTIVATED VIOLENT

CRIMES LAST YEAR, NEARLY TRIPLE

THOSE OF 2017.

>> ( translated ): MIGRANTS WERE

BEGINNING TO INTEGRATE.

MANY FOUND JOBS OR WERE LEARNING

ITALIAN AND GOING TO SCHOOL.

BUT NOW, OUT OF FEAR, THEY WANT

TO CROSS THE BORDER, FEAR OF

LOSING THOSE FEW RIGHTS THEY

HAD, AND FEAR OF THE CHANGING

POLITICAL CLIMATE IN ITALY.

AT THE SAME TIME, IT PUSHES

MIGRANTS OUT OF THE COUNTRY AND

WINS VOTES FOR THE LEAGUE.

>> ( translated ): IT'S EXACTLY

THE OPPOSITE, BECAUSE WE'RE

TRYING TO MANAGE IMMIGRATION IN

AN ORDERLY WAY.

>> Reporter: RICCARDO MOLINARI

IS THE HOUSE WHIP IN PARLIAMENT

FOR SALVINI'S LEAGUE PARTY.

HE REPRESENTS THE PLACE WHERE

MIGRANTS ARE ATTEMPTING THEIR

DANGEROUS CROSSINGS, THE ALPINE

REGION OF PIEDMONT THAT BORDERS

FRANCE.

>> ( translated ): PREVIOUSLY,

THE GOVERNMENT PRETENDED NOT TO

NOTICE MIGRANTS, SO THEY HOPED

THAT THESE PEOPLE WOULD

EVENTUALLY MOVE ON TO NORTHERN

EUROPE.

AT A CERTAIN POINT, COUNTRIES

LIKE AUSTRIA AND FRANCE BEGAN

CRACKING DOWN AND CLOSED THEIR

BORDERS WITH ITALY, AND WE WERE

STUCK WITH THE PROBLEM.

THESE PEOPLE KEPT COMING, AND

OUR MIGRATION SYSTEM COULDN'T

HANDLE IT.

SO, NOW, WE EITHER HAVE TO

EITHER REPATRIATE THEM OR KEEP

THEM OUT.

>> Reporter: TO KEEP THEM OUT,

THE NEW GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO

CLOSED ITALIAN PORTS TO SHIPS

OPERATED BY PRIVATE CHARITIES

CARRYING MIGRANTS.

>> ( translated ): WE BLOCKED

WHAT WAS IN FACT AN INVASION OF

OUR COUNTRY.

WE HAD AN INFLUX OF 200,000

PEOPLE PER YEAR, THE LARGE PART

OF WHICH WERE ILLEGAL.

WITH THE NEW GOVERNMENT, WE

TIGHTENED THE SCREWS AND REDUCED

MIGRANT ARRIVALS BY 95%.

>> Reporter: BUT IN THE

MEANTIME, YOU HAVE HUNDREDS OF

THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS WHO ARE

ALREADY HERE.

THOUSANDS OF THEM HAVE ALREADY

CROSSED THROUGH THE FRENCH ALPS.

SOME HAVE EVEN DIED OR HURT

THEMSELVES VERY SEVERELY.

>> ( translated ): OBVIOUSLY, NO

ONE WANTS ANY HARM TO COME TO

THESE PEOPLE, BUT THE BEST WAY

TO SAVE LIVES IS TO PREVENT

MIGRANTS FROM COMING IN THE

FIRST PLACE.

>> Reporter: AS FOR THOSE WHO

ARE ALREADY IN ITALY, SOME, LIKE

THESE MIGRANTS, ARE DETERMINED

TO GET OUT.

MOST ARE ORIGINALLY FROM FORMER

FRENCH COLONIES AND SPEAK

FRENCH, SOMETHING THAT DIDN'T

HELP THEM IN ITALY BUT THEY HOPE

WILL LAND THEM A JOB IN FRANCE.

SOME ARE PREPARED, OTHERS ARE

NOT.

ONE, NAMED MORY, SAYS HE'S

AFRAID TO SHOW HIS WHOLE FACE,

IN CASE HE GETS CAUGHT.

WHY ARE YOU RISKING YOUR LIFE?

>> ( translated ): I'VE BEEN

LIVING ON THE STREETS IN NAPLES.

PEOPLE ARE RACIST HERE.

>> Reporter: THEY AGREE TO LET

US FOLLOW THEM ON THEIR JOURNEY

FROM ITALY TO FRANCE.

A BUS TAKES US JUST A FEW

HUNDRED YARDS FROM THE BORDER.

THEY'RE STOPPED BY RED CROSS

VOLUNTEERS AND TOLD TO TURN BACK

BECAUSE OF THE PHYSICAL DANGER.

>> ( translated ): IF PEOPLE GET

HURT, WE HAVE TO TAKE THEM BACK

TO ITALY, OF COURSE.

>> Reporter: THEY IGNORE THE

WARNINGS, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW

THE WAY.

OKAY, SO, THESE GUYS ARE

COMPLETELY LOST.

THEY DON'T KNOW WHICH WAY THE

FRENCH BORDER IS.

THEY HEAD OFF-ROAD TO AVOID

BEING SPOTTED.

I'M PRETTY SURE THERE'S THE

POLICE COMING RIGHT UP BEHIND

US.

ALIHGE SOSO IS ORIGINALLY FROM

GAMBIA.

HE TELLS ME THAT ON HIS WAY TO

ITALY, PASSING THROUGH LIBYA, HE

WAS ARRESTED FOR ILLEGAL

MIGRATION AND ABUSED WHILE IN

DETENTION IN A MIGRANT CAMP.

FIRST, YOU RISKED YOUR LIFE

GOING TO LIBYA.

YOU CROSSED THE DESERT TO GO TO

LIBYA.

THEN, YOU RISKED YOUR LIFE

CROSSING THE SEA TO GO TO

EUROPE.

AND NOW, YOU'RE RISKING YOUR

LIFE TO CROSS THE MOUNTAINS.

IT'S VERY, VERY DANGEROUS.

YOU'RE AWARE OF THIS.

THEY WANDER ONTO A SKI SLOPE AND

MARCH INTO THE UNKNOWN.

NO MAP, NO COMPASS, NO

FLASHLIGHT.

SOON, THEY'LL HAVE ONLY THE

STARS TO LIGHT THEIR PATH.

IT'S ROUGHLY SEVEN MILES TO THE

NEAREST TOWN IN FRANCE, BUT

THAT'S IF YOU CROSS THROUGH THE

OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT.

INSTEAD, THEY'LL HAVE TO WEND

THEIR WAY THROUGH ICY PEAKS TO

AVOID BORDER PATROL.

THEY WEIGH THEIR OPTIONS.

SO, THEY'RE WORRIED.

THEY WANT... THEY WANT TO TURN

AROUND?

EVENTUALLY, THE RISKS BECOME TOO

GREAT TO CONTINUE FILMING.

IT'S JUST GETTING WAY TOO

DANGEROUS.

THEY'RE CLIMBING STRAIGHT UP A

VERY, VERY ICY MOUNTAIN THAT'S

INTENDED FOR SKIERS, NOT FOR

PEOPLE WHO ARE LOST, WHICH

INCLUDES ME AT THIS MOMENT.

WE TELL THEM WE WON'T BE