Musk stirs controversy with remarks on ruling by Italian judges blocking migrant deal

LONDON

American billionaire Elon Musk has stirred controversy with remarks targeting Italian judges who blocked a migrant transfer arrangement between Italy and Albania, saying they “need to go.”

The court ruling Monday blocked the detention of seven migrants who had been transferred to Albania as part of migrant processing hubs established by Italy, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Under the arrangement, the Italian government seeks to reduce migrant flows by holding men from certain countries in Albanian facilities while their asylum applications are processed.

The Rome court referred the case to the European Court of Justice.

The ruling represents a second major hurdle for the controversial deal between Italy and Albania.

Following the court’s decision, the seven migrants, who are Egyptian and Bangladeshi nationals, were brought to the Italian port of Brindisi early Tuesday.

Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League party, who is also deputy prime minister and transport minister, welcomed Musk's comment, saying "Elon Musk is right."

Maurizio Lupi of the We Moderates, a small member of the ruling center-right coalition government, said "Elon Musk's words are inappropriate, because even from abroad, they fuel a clash with the judiciary that the center-right does not want."

Fabio Rampelli from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party and vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies, said that judges who oppose the government's repatriation policy are wrong.

"However, we are equipped to defend ourselves. We thank Elon Musk, but we are not like the left, which drools to amplify Italian critical issues at an international level, ridiculing the nation."

Lawmakers Angelo Bonelli of the Green-Left Alliance (AVS) and Andrea Casu of the center-left Democratic Party asked Meloni to intervene.

Bonelli called it "an unacceptable interference and a serious problem for democracy" while Casu defined Musk's comment as an "attack on Italian judges" and an “intolerable interference.”

Italian Left (SI) leader Nicola Fratoianni said he does not know if the government will worry about defending sovereignty and borders from "Musk's interference this time."

Last month, the Rome judges rejected the detention of a first group of 12 migrants sent to the newly opened Albanian centers as their countries of origin were not considered safe enough for repatriation.

Italy's far-right government then adopted a new decree aimed at solving the judicial obstacles to its migration agreement with Albania.

The decree reduced the number of countries considered safe by law so that Rome can send migrants back to those countries using a fast-track procedure in case they are not granted asylum under Italian law.