Italian Judges Deny Government's Asylum Seekers Policy, Harming Meloni’s Immigration Strategy Further

In a significant blow to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s anti-immigration policy, Italian judges on Friday once again rejected the government’s proposal to detain asylum seekers in Albania during the processing of their cases. This ruling marks the third consecutive defeat for the right-wing administration since the initiation of the plan last October, which has emerged as a cornerstones of Ms. Meloni’s agenda.

The court of appeals in Rome denied the government’s request to keep the asylum seekers offshore pending a review of the practice in February by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The ruling specifically pertained to 43 migrants who were intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea and subsequently taken to centers in Albania by the Italian Navy. In response to the judges’ decision, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry announced that the migrants would be transported to Italy. However, the Italian government has yet to publicly address the ruling.