The Italian government announced on Friday that asylum seekers will be required to pay 4,938 euros ($5,259) in order to avoid detention while their requests for protection are being processed. This move appears to be aimed at dissuading migrants.
In response to a surge in new arrivals, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition revealed plans this week to expand the number of detention centers across the country for holding migrants awaiting potential repatriation. Additionally, the government announced an extension of the maximum detention period from three months to 18 months.
Currently, migrants in Italy who apply for asylum can move freely within the country during the review process. However, the government’s newly published decree states that they must now provide a form of bail to prevent the possibility of detention.
Human rights organizations have criticized this decision. Anna Brambilla, a lawyer and member of the Association for Juridical Studies on Immigration (ASGI), which advocates for migrant rights, commented, “It is ridiculous. Who has 5,000 euros? They seem to be attempting to normalize detention for migrants, but it’s unclear how they can achieve that.”
Presently, Italy has 10 repatriation centers with a combined capacity of just 619 individuals. Meloni has expressed the intent to double this number, establishing one such center in each of the country’s 20 regions. Nevertheless, many regional leaders and town mayors from various political backgrounds have opposed hosting new centers and questioned the feasibility of mass detainment.
Luca Zaia, the head of the northern Veneto region and a prominent member of the League party within the coalition, remarked, “We are talking about emptying the sea with a bucket.”
The latest interior ministry data reveals that 132,867 migrants have arrived in Italy by boat so far this year, compared to 69,498 during the same period in 2022. Italy lacks repatriation agreements with many of the countries of origin for these migrants, making deportation challenging. In 2022, Rome deported only 3,916 foreigners.
Italian officials assert that the majority of those arriving by boat from North Africa are economic migrants seeking a better life in Europe and do not qualify for asylum. In 2022, Italy reviewed 52,625 asylum requests, rejecting 53.5% of them, and this year, the government tightened regulations by eliminating “special protection” residency permits, which were previously granted to migrants facing humanitarian risks in their home countries. In 2022, a total of 10,865 such permits were issued.
