Asylum Seekers To Be Deported From Italy

Meloni’s Deal with Albania Will House Asylum Seekers in Detention Centres or Prisons

Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni in Rome on 16 September. Photo credit: Phil Noble

Giorgia Meloni’s administration has kicked off a controversial deal with Albania, which will see asylum seekers deported to the Balkan country while awaiting processing by Italian authorities.

Sixteen men from Bangladesh and Egypt are currently en route to Albania after being rescued by the Italian coast guard only days ago. The vessels they were traveling on, which originated from Libya, carried more people, but women, children, and the elderly were sent to Italy. These 16 men, however, were held back and are now being transported to the port of Schëngjin.

Once in Albania, they will go through their asylum application process at a distance. Regardless of the outcome, they are unlikely to set foot on Italian soil anytime soon. This is part of Meloni’s anti-immigration strategy, under which Italy is funding the construction and operation of a deportation centre, an asylum processing centre, and even a prison in Albania.

Human rights groups have expressed outrage at the plan. They warn that the millions being spent on running detention centres in Albania would be far better used for welcoming refugees into Italy and improving public services for everyone. SeaWatch, a non-profit focused on rescuing migrants at sea, has called the agreement a shameful chapter in Italy’s history. They compared the detention centres to “lagers,” referring to the pre-deportation detention centres already present in parts of Italy that hold a striking resemblance to concentration camps.

Disturbingly, Meloni’s plans are gaining strong traction across Europe. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has offered financial support for sections of her policy plan, confirming that the only change in the UK’s immigration stance compared to Tory administrations will be cosmetic. The underlying anti-immigrant sentiment remains unchanged.

Similarly, while many Western European governments once described Meloni’s views on migration as too extreme, this feeling is increasingly fading away. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently wrote about using the Italy-Albania deal as a blueprint for creating “return hubs” outside the EU.

The worsening of European migration policy is clear. From violent pushbacks on the borders of the Balkans to Poland’s plans to suspend the right to asylum altogether, the far-right’s line on immigration is becoming more and more visible in policies introduced by liberal and conservative governments. Meloni’s agreement with Albania is just the beginning, and we can expect more disastrous moves across the region in coming months.