Italy To Send Illegal Migrants to Albania From August
Migrants at the Italian island of Lampedusa, 2024. Photo: X/ @SprinterFamily
June 28, 2024 Hour: 10:25 am
Instead of remaining in Italy, migrants rescued in the sea will stay at the so-called “identification and reception centers.”
On Friday, the Italian government confirmed that two centers for the reception of illegal migrants in Albania will be operational from August 1.
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“We have been able to verify full compliance with the schedule and the validity of this innovative model for managing illegal migration flows, which other European nations, primarily Germany, are observing closely,” said Alfredo Mantovano, the secretary for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
On June 5, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended a controversial deal between Italy and Albania, asserting that it could serve as an example for other European Union countries “because it can be part of the solution for uncontrolled illegal migration.”
Previously, in November 2023, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Meloni signed an agreement for the construction of two “identification and reception centers for migrants” with a maximum capacity of 3,000 people per month.
One center will be in the port city of Shengjin and the other at the former Albanian army airbase in Gjader. The agreement for the transfer and reception of migrants is valid for five years, but Italy and Albania could extend it for a similar period.
From these centers, migrants will need to process their asylum applications in Italy. Those who do not obtain asylum will be repatriated to their home countries.
International humanitarian organizations have criticized the agreement, arguing that it will promote an illegal detention system in Europe.
Autor: teleSUR/ JF
Fuente: EFE