Italian court blocks migrant detention in Albania centers

In a recent turn of events an Italian court has put a stop to the detention of 12 migrants at newly-opened centers in Albania. This decision has thrown a wrench in the right-wing governments plan to outsource migrant processing to the Balkan country

The centers‚ which opened about two weeks ago are part of a five-year agreement to handle 3000 migrants monthly picked up by Italian coast guard. The deal aims to vet migrants for asylum in Italy or return them to their countries of origin. However‚ the court in Rome found that Bangladesh and Egypt (the migrants home countries) werent safe enough for their return

This verdict is an early roadblock for the arrangement between Italy and Albania‚ which Giorgia Melonis government had praised as a new “model“ for handling illegal migration. The anti-migration League party (part of Melonis coalition) quickly criticized the judges decision‚ accusing them of being left-wing activists. On the other hand‚ the center-left opposition pointed out the schemes high cost‚ complexity and negative impact on migrants rights

The 16 migrants (10 Bangladeshis and 6 Egyptians) were sent to Albania by an Italian navy vessel on 10/9/2024 for accelerated border procedures. Now‚ all of them must be brought back to Italy. The centers‚ costing Italy 670 million euros over five years‚ are run by Italy but guarded externally by Albanian security

This controversial agreement to outsource asylum-seeker housing to a non-EU country has caught the attention of other nations facing high migrant arrivals. Ursula von der Leyen‚ European Commission President‚ even endorsed it as “out-of-box thinking“ for tackling EU migration issues

The current scheme is expensive‚ complicated and damaging to migrants rights