Dozens of migrants were transported out of Italian-run facilities in Albania on Saturday after an Italian court denied approval for their detention, marking another blow to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s immigration plan.
An Italian boat carrying 43 migrants departed from the Albanian port of Shëngjin, heading to the Italian port of Bari, as reported by an AFP journalist. The migrants had arrived in Albania on Tuesday, the third group to be relocated under Italy’s strategy to process migrants in a non-EU country, aiming to expedite repatriations of asylum seekers whose requests were denied.
The scheme has drawn international attention, with European nations closely observing the initiative. However, it has faced considerable criticism from human rights groups and has encountered multiple delays. No migrant has been held in the Albanian facility for more than a few days.
On Friday, Rome’s Court of Appeals sent the case of the 43 migrants to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which is already evaluating legal concerns raised by other Italian courts about the program.
Despite the setback, the Italian government remains determined to continue the initiative. An interior ministry source emphasized that the government would press ahead with plans, which were discussed by EU ministers earlier this week. The EU is exploring controversial ideas to create return centers outside the union’s borders.
The 43 migrants were part of a group of 49 intercepted by Italian authorities while attempting to cross the Mediterranean. The majority were from Bangladesh, with others from Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Gambia.
Prime Minister Meloni had reached an agreement with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in November 2023 to open two Italian-operated migrant centers in Albania, which began operations in October 2024. The centers are specifically for adult men eligible for accelerated asylum processing.
