Italian Courts Reject Prime Minister Meloni's Asylum Seeker Plan Once Again

Italian judges delivered another blow to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s controversial asylum seeker plan, rejecting the government's request to process migrants in Albania. This ruling marks the third such legal defeat for Meloni’s administration, which initiated the offshore transfer scheme aimed at expediting asylum claims in October. The recent court decision, handed down by a Rome appeals court, affects 43 migrants who were recently intercepted in the Mediterranean and was prompted by concerns over the legality of housing asylum seekers abroad.

Meloni's government has faced criticism for its strategy, which targets “non-vulnerable” males from designated “safe countries” for transfer to Italian-built facilities in Albania, while women and minors are permitted entry into Italy. As a response to the ruling, an Interior Ministry representative indicated that the migrants would now be relocated to Italy. Human rights advocates and political opponents have condemned the government's plan as both illegal and excessively costly, raising alarms over its implications for human rights and immigration policy. The situation now awaits a further review by the Court of Justice of the European Union next month, adding more uncertainty to an already contentious issue in Italian politics.