Italy transferred on Friday to 40 immigrants to whom the right to remain in the country to the detention centers administered by the Italians in Albania, apparently, the first time that a Member State of the EU moved to asylum rejected to a third place that is not their country of origin or a transit country.
According to the national media, the wine group of the Port City of Brindisi, although the authorities have not yet confirmed the nationality of migrants or other details.
People are now detained in two Italian managed facilities in Shëngjin and Gjadër, which were initially built to process asylum applications for intercepted migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.
However, since its launch in October, legal challenges have been restricted to the complete use of the centers, and some migrants have been returned to Italy after the courts refused to maintain their detention abroad.
The duration of the migrant stay in Albania remains uncertain, although, according to Italian legislation, rejected asylum seekers can be arrested up to 18 months while waiting for deportation.
Legal and human rights concerns
The transfers arise after the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently ordered the rapid Albanian asylum centers that also stopped asylum seekers whose application was rejected and waiting for deportation.
The human rights defense groups and legal experts denounced this measure, expressing their concern about the legality and the precedent you can create.
“They have to demonstrate that they are doing something with this incredibly expensive structure,” said Meghan Benton of the Migration Policy Institute.
Benton also said that other EU countries, including the Netherlands, expressed interest in similar agreements with countries such as Uganda.
Francesco Ferri, an Actionaid migration expert who joined an Italian NGO delegation and monitors transfers in Albania, said the measure does not have a clear legal basis.
There is no provision in Italian legislation, EU legislation or the agreement between Albania and Italy that allows the deportation of rejected asylum applicants.
“For us, it’s unacceptable,” he said.
Since the signing of the bilateral agreement of 800 million euros in November 2023, the centers have remained largely inactive due to legal barriers and the pressure of human rights groups that argue that the agreement violates international law and the rights of migrants in danger.
According to the five -year agreement, up to 3,000 intercepted migrants monthly by the Italian coast guard in international waters can be treated in Albania. Those who are granted asylum are transferred to Italy, while others face deportation directly from the Albanian soil.
However, the first three groups of 73 migrants transferred in autumn and last winter were returned to Italy in a few hours, because the magistrates refused to validate their arrest outside the EU.
ADVERTISINGAccording to the Italian Interior Ministry, 11,438 immigrants landed on Italian backs so far this year, less than the 16,090 registered during the same period last year.
