Italy resumes migrant transfers to processing centers in Albania

ATHENS

Italy resumed transferring migrants to processing centers in Albania, media reports said Tuesday.

An Italian Navy ship, Cassiopea, arrived early at the Albanian port of Shengjin carrying 49 migrants rescued during the weekend from international waters south of Lampedusa, according to the state-run ANSA news agency.

The majority of the migrants onboard were from Bangladesh, with others hailing from Egypt, Ivory Coast and Gambia, it said.

The migrants will be taken to an Italian-operated fast-track processing center in Albania for asylum seekers from countries deemed “safe” under legislation passed in December by the Italian government.

Their next stop will be Gjader, a processing center a few miles inland from Shengjin, where they will wait for their asylum applications to be reviewed

Italian judges blocked the detention of 12 migrants sent to the Albanian centers in October, ruling their countries of origin were not safe for repatriation.

In response, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government introduced a new decree reducing the number of countries considered safe, allowing for a fast-track procedure to deport migrants whose asylum applications are denied.

Under a five-year agreement between Italy and Albania, two centers in Albania are set to host up to 3,000 migrants per month rescued by the Italian Coast Guard in international waters. Migrants are processed for asylum in Italy or returned to their home countries if their applications are rejected.

Meloni has touted the agreement as a potential model for other European nations to address increasing irregular migration.

Human rights organizations and Mediterranean NGOs, however, have criticized the deal, arguing it jeopardizes human rights and conflicts with international law.