SHENGJIN, Albania — On Saturday, Italian naval forces transported migrants from Albania to Italy, a move influenced by a recent court ruling in Rome. This marks the third unsuccessful attempt by Giorgia Meloni’s far-right administration to manage migrant processing in this non-European Union nation.
A coast guard vessel successfully transported 43 migrants from Shengjin port, located 66 kilometers (approximately 40 miles) northwest of Tirana, to Bari, a southern Italian city. These migrants were part of a group of 49 men who had been sent to Albania on an Italian navy ship two days prior, though six individuals were sent back on the same day due to being minors or classified as particularly vulnerable.
Reports from Italian media indicate that the migrants hail from countries such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Gambia. On Friday, an Italian appeals court in Rome denied a request to expedite the expulsion of the 43 asylum seekers who had been detained in Albania since Tuesday. This action is linked to a contentious migration deal designed to move asylum proceedings outside EU borders. The court has now referred the matter to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, which is anticipated to provide a ruling by February 25 regarding earlier cases. The ongoing series of decisions from lower courts has led to tensions between Meloni’s administration and the Italian judiciary system.
In previous months, judges had also halted the expedited expulsion of smaller groups of migrants, seeking clearer guidelines from the European court on which nations are deemed safe for those whose asylum applications have been rejected.
Last year, Italy sealed a five-year agreement aimed at processing up to 3,000 migrants monthly outside EU territories as a part of Meloni’s strategy to combat unlawful migration to Italy, which has become a primary entry point for many who undertake the dangerous journey across the Central Mediterranean Sea.
Although the agreement has raised alarms among human rights advocates, it has garnered interest from other European nations.
In just the first month of this year, Italy recorded the arrival of 3,704 migrants, nearly triple the number of those who arrived during the same timeframe last year. Throughout the entirety of the past year, 66,317 migrants reached Italy, reflecting a 58% decrease compared to the preceding year. The most prevalent nationality among arrivals was Bangladeshis, followed by Syrians, Tunisians, and Egyptians, according to data from Italy’s Interior Ministry.
