Italian officials said on Tuesday that 26 migrants whose asylum requests were denied have been moved to detention centers in Albania run by Italy.
According to government sources in Rome, the Italian navy ship Spica left from the port of Brindisi and arrived at the Albanian port of Shengjin, located around 65 kilometers (40 miles) from Tirana, with the migrants on board.
Port officials confirmed the transfer. After arriving, the migrants are usually moved to another detention center in Gjader, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) inland.
The Italian government has not shared the migrants’ nationalities or other personal details.
The two facilities in Albania were set up to handle asylum requests from people stopped in the Mediterranean while trying to reach Europe through Italy. Since opening in October, Italian courts have blocked their use, and small groups sent there have returned to Italy.
In March, the government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved a law that allows these centers to be used to detain people whose asylum applications were rejected and who are set to be deported.
It is not known how long these migrants will be held in Albania. In Italy, they can be detained for up to 18 months while waiting for deportation. There is no official update on what happened to the first group of 40 rejected migrants sent in April. However, local media have reported, without confirmation, that 16 of them were sent back to Italy.
A migrant is escorted by the copsThe centers in Albania accepted three groups of migrants — a total of 73 people — in October, November, and January. These individuals stayed only a few hours before being sent back to Italy after courts refused to approve their detention outside the EU.
The agreement signed between Italy and Albania in November 2023 is worth nearly 800 million euros over five years. It allows up to 3,000 migrants per month, picked up by the Italian coast guard in international waters, to be held in Albania while their asylum cases are reviewed or they are prepared for return to their home countries.
Migrants approved for asylum will be allowed to go to Italy, while those denied will be deported from Albania.