Italy to use Albanian camps for migrants awaiting asylum outcomes and deportation

Italian government Friday upgraded on its own agreement with Albania and plans to use migrant camps in the non-EU country as a transitory location for refused asylum-seekers before their final deportation to homes countries, Italian media reported, on top of using them for disembarked migrants who wait for decision on their asylum applications from Italian authorities.

Under the new decree, the two centers in Albania — originally aimed at processing non-vulnerable migrants rescued in international waters — will now also house migrants who arrived in Italy, had their asylum request rejected and received a deportation order, according to the AP.

The Albanian centers have remained substantially inactive since their opening in October, due to legal hurdles and amid wide opposition from human rights associations, who believe they violate international laws and put migrants’ rights at risk.

The project — which has cost nearly 800 million euros over a five-year investment — has been a disappointment for the conservative government led by Premier Giorgia Meloni.