The
move comes after almost 10,000 migrants reached the southern
Italian island of Lampedusa last week, dealing a blow to the
credibility of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who won office
last year vowing to curb illegal immigration.
In an bid to regain the initiative, the cabinet was set to
lengthen the time migrants awaiting repatriation can be detained
to up to 18 months from three at present, officials said.
Ministers will also approve the creation of more detention
centers in isolated areas.
Under Italian law, migrants facing repatriation can be held if
they cannot be immediately expelled.
More than 127,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this
year, according to government data, almost double the figure for
the same period of 2022.
Officials say a majority of migrants head to Italy for economic
reasons and are therefore not eligible for asylum.
However, Rome only has repatriation agreements with some of the
countries whose migrants come ashore in Italy, and even when
there is a bilateral deal is in place, it can take months to
send people home.
Highlighting the difficulties, data produced by the OpenPolis
think-tank shows that only 20% of those targeted by a
repatriation order left the country between 2014 and 2020.
Past efforts to hold migrants have also largely failed, with
those detained repeatedly breaking out of centers and often
heading straight to wealthier northern European countries.
The Italian parliament in April approved measures to create new
migrant centers for people waiting to hear the outcome of asylum
applications as well as more detention facilities for those
facing expulsion.
As part of the package, it set aside around 20 million euros
($21.32 million) over two years.
Meloni, who put tackling illegal immigration at the forefront of
her successful election campaign last year, visited Lampedusa on
Sunday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
and asked Brussels to do more to help.
Von der Leyen promised a 10-point EU action plan to relieve the
pressure, but the measures appeared similar to previous
initiatives that have failed to make much impact.
($1 = 0.9379 euros)
(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Crispian Balmer and
Christina Fincher)
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