Italy Proposes EU Build Migrant Detention Center in Africa

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Julie Ricard

JAKARTA - Italy is reportedly going to propose the establishment of an immigration detention center in a number of countries, especially in Africa, as a shelter for immigrants who come to the EU countries without documents.

According to the media report Corriere della Sera, amid the migration crisis in Spain, 22 EU member states signed a letter urging the organization's leadership to strengthen border controls and combat illegal migration.

In a similar letter, dozens of European countries also called for an extraordinary video conference between the interior ministers of each member country.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi will propose the establishment of a detention center for the repatriation of illegal immigrants at a meeting of the European Council on Tuesday (4/8).

The detention center will be made as Italy did in Albania with EU funding and almost all of them are proposed to be located in Africa.

Various countries proposed as locations for illegal immigrant detention centers include Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, Uganda, and Ethiopia.

There are also Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Montenegro that are not in Africa.

In 2023, Italy and Albania signed an agreement to combat illegal immigration through the establishment of two Italian detention centers in Albania.

The shelter, funded and under the jurisdiction of Italy, is the location of asylum applications and deportation of undocumented immigrants.

However, the placement of immigrants at the location was rejected by the Italian court, which repeatedly prohibited the detention of immigrants there, and ordered their return to Italy.

The European Union Court also issued a similar ruling by designating Bangladesh and Egypt as unsafe countries for repatriation purposes.

In May, Albanian Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha announced that Tirana would not renew an agreement on combating illegal migration with Italy.