ROME — An Italian court delivered a significant ruling on Friday, blocking the government’s plan to confine 12 migrants in newly established facilities in Albania. This decision reveals a significant obstacle in the administration’s strategy to delegate part of its migrant processing operations to the Balkan state.

The group of 12 was included in the initial set of 16 migrants targeted for relocation to the newly opened centers, which began operations last week as part of a five-year agreement to accommodate 3,000 migrants monthly. These individuals, who are primarily rescued by the Italian coast guard, are subjected to evaluations for potential asylum in Italy or are assessed for return to their home countries.

However, Italian law mandates that the detention of each migrant must undergo scrutiny by specialized migration courts. The court in Rome concluded that the 12 migrants could not be deported back to their countries—Bangladesh and Egypt—on the grounds that these nations were not deemed safe for the migrants. The remaining four migrants were deemed vulnerable according to assessments conducted by center staff before the ruling.

This verdict emerges as an early challenge in the agreement between Italy and Albania, which has been championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government as a revolutionary approach to address illegal migration. The right-wing League party, part of Meloni’s coalition, criticized the court’s decision, accusing judges of ideological bias and politically motivated judgments.

Conversely, Italy’s center-left opposition underscored that the existing plan is costly, complex, and detrimental to the rights of migrants. The group of 16 migrants, composed of 10 individuals from Bangladesh and six from Egypt, was transferred to Albania by the Italian navy on Wednesday for what is known as accelerated border procedures, a key component of the Italy-Albania agreement.

Following the court ruling, all 16 migrants must now be repatriated to Italy. The establishment of the centers entails considerable financial implications for Italy, with estimated costs reaching 670 million euros ($730 million) over the five-year period. These facilities operate under Italian oversight, though external security is provided by Albanian personnel.

Italy has pledged to accept those migrants who qualify for asylum, while those whose applications are turned down face deportation directly from Albanian territory. This contentious arrangement to relocate asylum seekers to a non-EU country has garnered support from several nations confronting similar challenges regarding migrant surges. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described this initiative as an innovative approach to addressing the migration crisis facing the European Union.