Italy has resumed its controversial policy of transferring migrants to Albania, sending 49 individuals aboard the navy ship Cassiopea to the port of Shengjin. The migrants, primarily from Egypt and Bangladesh, are deemed to come from countries considered “safe” by Italian authorities, as per the government’s list. This marks the restart of the policy after a two-month pause prompted by legal challenges.
The transfer involves only adult males who are in good mental and physical health. The Interior Ministry confirmed that these migrants met the required criteria for the policy. The migrants will be processed in Albania before being sent to the Gjader detention center for further processing. However, 53 other migrants managed to present passports showing they were from countries not recognized as “safe” by Italy, hoping to avoid the transfer.
This policy has drawn significant controversy, especially following a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which stated that asylum applications should not be fast-tracked if the country of origin is not deemed “wholly safe.” The ECJ did not consider Egypt or Bangladesh to be wholly safe. Nonetheless, Italy’s government has insisted that these countries, along with 17 others, are safe for the purposes of migration processing.
The decision has sparked tensions, as Italy continues to face an influx of migrants, with 1,750 arriving in January alone, a notable increase compared to 1,300 during the same period in 2024. Despite legal opposition, Italy’s Supreme Court has upheld the government’s right to use its own criteria for determining safe countries.
Sources:
- Italian Ministry of the Interior statement
- European Court of Justice ruling on asylum applications
- Migration statistics for January 2025
Cassiopea (P 401) Image Attribution: Piergiuliano Chesi CC-BY-3.0
