Sixteen men who were rescued at sea by the Italian coast guard are now being sent to Albania, the first in a controversial deal meant to reduce the number of migrants arriving in Italy.
The deal dictates that asylum-seekers who arrive from countries Italy has designated as “safe” will be sent to Albania and have their application for asylum in Italy considered there. These countries include Bangladesh, the Ivory Coast, Egypt and Tunisia. Last year over 56,00 people from those countries journeyed to Italy.
The asylum-seekers will be held in new facilities built with Italian money, which consist of a camp, a pre-deportation center, and a small prison. These facilities have cost Italy €670 million.
The pact was signed between Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and Albanian PM Edi Rama in November of 2023. Meloni has mentioned that she will support Albania’s bid to join the EU.
Meloni has been explicit in her anti-migrant sentiments, previously calling for a “naval blockade” to prevent boats from reaching Italy and labeling immigration “ethnic substitution.”
“The most useful element of this project is that it can represent an extraordinary tool of deterrence for illegal migrants destined to reach Europe,” said Meloni of the pact with Albania. “The agreement could be replicated in many countries.”
But the deal has received critique from human rights groups. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called the Italy-Albania deal “costly, cruel and counterproductive,” stating that there are chances it will “push people seeking safety onto more dangerous routes.”
Beginning with the EU-Türkiye deal in 2016, over the past decade the European Union has signed several migration deals with countries outside the EU such as Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Lebanon, promising money and support in exchange for these country’s work in deterring and preventing migrants from entering the bloc. Investigations have found that EU money spent in these deals was used on mistreatment and forced deportations.
The deal between Italy and Albania is different in that it applies to migrants who will be seeking asylum in Italy, while being held in Albania.
The Italian ambassador to Albania announced that the two centers were operational on Friday. Four days later, the first people are being sent to the Albanian port of Shëngjin where the centers have been constructed. According to the Guardian, the Italian interior ministry confirmed that the 10 men from Bangladesh and 6 from Egypt were rescued on Sunday in international waters by the Italian coastguard, and were onboard an Italian naval ship, en route to Albania.
