On Friday, April 11th, Italian authorities transferred 40 immigrants denied asylum to Italian-managed detention centers in Albania. Legal experts say this marks the first time an EU member state has relocated rejected asylum seekers to a third country that is neither their place of origin nor a transit country. This may not be the last time, given a proposal by the EU Commission that would allow setting up “return hubs” in third countries.
The failed asylum seekers arrived on a military ship to the Albanian port city of Shëngjin, located about 65 kilometers northeast of the capital, Tirana. They were seen being transported to the Italian-run center where they will be processed before being moved to a second facility in Gjadër, also operated by Italy. The government has not released details about the migrants’ nationalities or further specifics.
Since the signing of the €800 million bilateral agreement in November 2023, the centers in Albania have remained largely inactive due to court rulings and sustained pressure from human rights advocates preventing their use for detaining incoming migrants awaiting processing.
The duration of stay for those sent to Albania remains unclear, though Italian law permits holding rejected asylum seekers for up to 18 months.
Meghan Benton of the Migration Policy Institute pointed out that other EU nations, including the Netherlands, have shown interest in similar arrangements with countries like Uganda.
Italy’s Interior Ministry reports a decrease in arrivals this year, with 11,438 migrants—most of them coming from Bangladesh, Syria, Tunisia and Egypt—landing on Italian shores so far, down from 16,090 during the same period last year.
