The first group of migrants intercepted by the Italian navy under a contentious new migration agreement with Albania is en route to the Balkan country for asylum processing.
The arrangement, endorsed by Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, saw a navy vessel departing on Monday carrying a number of “irregular migrants,” as confirmed by the interior ministry. However, no exact figure was disclosed.
All individuals on board are reportedly men who had been attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe. Women, children, and men with health issues or signs of torture were instead transported to Lampedusa, following screenings to determine who fell under the pact’s criteria—men from countries classified as “safe,” according to Italian news outlets.
Upon arrival at the port of Schëngjin, Albania, the men will undergo more thorough evaluations before being moved to a facility at a former Albanian air force base in Gjadër. There, they will be detained while their asylum requests are processed.
The interior ministry specified that the group consists of 16 individuals—10 from Bangladesh and six from Egypt. The men, who departed from Libya, were rescued by the Italian coastguard on Sunday in international waters. Their arrival in Albania is anticipated on Wednesday.
Under the deal, funded by Italy, three facilities were opened in Albania last week: an asylum center with a capacity for 880 people, a pre-deportation facility with 144 spaces, and a small detention center for 20 individuals.
The agreement, which has faced criticism from human rights organizations for allegedly breaching international law, was signed by Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in November of the previous year. The EU has offered tacit support for the pact.
Meloni had pledged to advocate for Albania’s EU membership in exchange for Rama’s support in establishing the facilities. The initiative will cost Italy €670 million (£560 million) over five years, with the centers falling under Italian jurisdiction while being externally secured by Albanian guards.
Meloni has stated that the goal is to expedite asylum processing to within 28 days, a significant reduction from the lengthy wait times currently seen in Italy. Only migrants from countries deemed “safe” by Italy will have their cases reviewed, with the list recently expanding to 21 nations, including Bangladesh, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Tunisia. In the past year, 56,588 migrants from these countries arrived in Italy.
The majority of applications are expected to be denied, as individuals from these “safe” nations face limited chances of qualifying for asylum. Those whose requests are rejected will be detained before eventual deportation.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer sparked backlash from human rights advocates and his Labour party colleagues after showing “great interest” in the deal during a recent meeting with Meloni in Rome, where he pledged £4 million to back her crackdown on irregular migration.
Meloni has previously advocated for drastic measures against migrants, including sinking rescue boats and calling for a naval blockade of North Africa.
