Italy ships migrants to Albania for first time under controversial plan

The first 16 migrants, who were rescued at sea while attempting to reach Europe via Italy, have arrived at Shengjin Port in Albania. They arrived aboard an Italian Navy vessel, marking a significant shift in how Mediterranean migration is handled. This group includes 10 Bangladeshi citizens and 6 Egyptian citizens, who were rescued on Sunday from several migrant boats that had previously departed from Libya, as confirmed by the Italian Coast Guard.

Egypt and Bangladesh are among the 22 countries that Italy considers "safe," meaning that citizens of these countries are generally not eligible for political asylum. According to an agreement signed last year between Italy and Albania, migrants sent to Albania must not show signs of torture, illness, or vulnerability, and they cannot be family members traveling together. If they were brought directly to Italy, they would be subject to EU regulations and face a lengthy asylum process.

After being screened on Italian Coast Guard vessels, the migrants were transferred to an Italian Navy ship and subsequently handed over to Italian authorities in Albania. There, they will undergo an expedited asylum application process, expected to take less than a month, a stark contrast to the lengthy procedures in Italy. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni conceived this plan, where an Italian judge will review each case via video link, and immigration lawyers will be provided in Albania. If their asylum applications are rejected in Italy, they will be repatriated to their countries of origin at Italy's expense.

Meloni stated that the offshore processing plan in Albania aims to deter those attempting to reach Europe. She signed a bilateral agreement with the Albanian Prime Minister last November. Filippo Ungaro, the UNHCR spokesperson in Italy, told CNN on Tuesday that the UNHCR will have a permanent observer in the center for the first three months of the plan's implementation to ensure it meets international and regional human rights standards. "The UNHCR was not an initial negotiator or drafter of the Italy-Albania agreement, but in order to ensure that the agreement is implemented in a way that protects the rights and dignity of asylum seekers, it has agreed to take on this oversight role," Ungaro said.

Ungaro added, "UNHCR staff will have direct access to and observe the different stages of the process and review the identification, screening, and vulnerability assessment procedures. They will also monitor the treatment of those placed and the conditions for asylum seekers in the center." After the initial three months, the UNHCR will conduct an evaluation and make recommendations, which will be made public. The plan has been strongly condemned by human rights organizations, who fear it will set a precedent for other countries wishing to transfer migrants to third countries that may not have stringent human rights regulations.

A small group of activists gathered at the port entrance to protest the arrival of the migrants, holding a banner that read "The European dream ends here." An activist named Edison Lika said, "This agreement violates human rights, and more specifically, the rights of migrants." The International Rescue Committee (IRC) called the opening of the center a "dark day for EU asylum and migration policy" and expressed hope that the Albania agreement will not become a blueprint for other countries. Marta Welander, the IRC's EU advocacy director, stated in a statement to CNN on Tuesday: "Confining people behind barbed wire, deliberately making them invisible, is not a sustainable solution to Europe's migration challenges."

Welander added, "While the number of arrivals in Italy has decreased in recent months, there has been a surge in the number of people attempting to make the perilous crossing to Spain." "These methods do not deter people from risking their lives to reach Europe, they simply push people to more dangerous routes." Meloni dismissed the criticism, stating in the Italian upper house of parliament that she hopes the plan will indeed set an example for other countries. "It is a new, courageous, and unprecedented path, but it fully reflects the European spirit and has all the characteristics of a path taken jointly with other non-EU countries," she said on Monday.

According to Italian government statistics and UNHCR data, more than one million migrants have arrived in Italy by boat from North African ports since 2014. According to data from the UN's International Organization for Migration, more than 30,500 people have died or gone missing on the same route since 2014.