Italian ship transfers 16 intercepted migrants to Albania in a first under their new migration plan

SHENGJIN, Albania — An Italian navy ship on Wednesday docked at the Albanian port of Shengjin to bring the first group of 16 migrants intercepted in international waters to be processed there.

The naval ship Libra left the port of Lampedusa on Monday with 16 men — 10 from Bangladesh and six from Egypt — who were rescued at sea after departing from Libya, a ministry spokesperson said.

Last week, Italy formally opened two centers in Albania where it plans to process thousands of asylum-seekers outside its borders.

The centers will only house adult men, while vulnerable people such as women, children, the elderly and those who are ill or victims of torture will be accommodated in Italy. Families will not be separated.

Based on that criteria, two minors were returned to Italy on an Italian boat, local media reported without elaborating. When asked for a comment, Italy's embassy in Albania said it was not in charge of the centers' operation.

Italian Ambassador to Albania Fabrizio Bucci said Friday the two centers were ready to process migrants after the opening was delayed for months to consolidate the crumbling soil at one center, in Gjader where they will be accommodated.

A small group of activists gathered at the entrance of the port to protest the arrival of the migrants, holding a banner saying, ''The European dream ends here.''

Though the center in Gjader has capacity for 3,000 migrants, it will start with 400 and increase to 880 in a few weeks.

The number of people reaching Italy along the central Mediterranean migration route from North Africa has fallen by 61% in 2024, from 2023. According to the Italian Interior Ministry, as of Oct. 15, 54,129 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea this year, compared to 138,947 by the same date last year.

Under a five-year deal signed last November by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and her Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama, up to 3,000 migrants picked up by the Italian coast guard in international waters each month will be sheltered in Albania. They will be screened initially on board the ships that rescue them before being sent to Albania for further screening.

The two centers will cost Italy 670 million euros ($730 million) over five years. The facilities are run by Italy and are under Italian jurisdiction, while Albanian guards provide external security.

The first center, an area in Shengjin, 66 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the capital, Tirana, is used for screening newcomers. While another one, about 22 kilometers (14 miles) to its east, near the former military airport in Gjader, accommodates migrants during the processing of their asylum requests.

In Albania, the migrants retain their right under international and European Union law to apply for asylum in Italy and have their claims processed there, a move expected to take a maximum of 28 days, including any appeal case, to process.

Italy has agreed to welcome those who are granted asylum. Those whose applications are rejected face deportation directly from Albania.

The controversial agreement to outsource the housing of asylum-seekers to a non-EU member country has been hailed by some countries that, like Italy, are experiencing a high level of migrant arrivals.

The agreement was endorsed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as an example of ''out-of-box thinking'' in tackling the issue of migration into the European Union.

But it has been slammed by human rights groups as setting a dangerous precedent.

Meloni and her right-wing allies have long demanded that European countries share more of the migration burden. She has held up the Albania agreement as an innovative solution to a problem that has vexed the EU for years.

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