An Italian navy ship on Saturday took back to Italy the first 12 migrants from newly opened asylum processing centres in Albania following a court decision in Rome.
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The court ruling on Friday represents an early stumbling block to a five-year deal between Italy and Albania for Tirana to host 3,000 migrants per month picked up by the Italian coastguard. They will be vetted for possible asylum in Italy or to be sent back to their countries.
Italian Premier Minister Giorgia Meloni has hailed it as a new “model” to handle illegal migration.
The court in Rome rejected the detention of 12 of the migrants, arguing they cannot be sent back to their countries or origin – Bangladesh and Egypt – because the court did not deem them to be safe enough.
The Italian navy ship took the 12 from the port of Shengjin, 66 kilometres (40 miles) northwest of the capital Tirana. After arriving there this week, the four other migrants had already been rejected by centre staff, two as vulnerable after undergoing health checks and two for being minors.
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Dozens of migrants killed in shipwreck off the coast of Italy’s Calabria region
Dozens of migrants killed in shipwreck off the coast of Italy’s Calabria region
Each migrant’s detention must be reviewed by special migration courts in Italy under Italian law.
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