The first group of 12 migrants were returned to Italy after a Rome court said their countries of origin, Bangladesh and Egypt, were not safe enough for repatriation.
An Italian navy ship docked at the Albanian port of Shengjin on Friday, carrying eight migrants, a month after a previous group was denied entry following a failed vetting process.
The group will undergo asylum processing before being transferred to the repatriation center in Gjader.
It is only the second transfer of migrants since two migrant processing centres started operating in October.
The same Italian navy ship previously transferred the first 16 migrants from Bangladesh and Egypt to Albania. Four of them, identified as minors or individuals with health issues, were taken back to Italy on the same day.
Twelve others were brought back three days later, following a ruling by Rome judges who rejected their detention because their countries of origin — Bangladesh and Egypt — were not safe enough for them to be sent back.
The court ruling had shortened the list of countries considered “safe” by law, meaning that Rome can repatriate migrants from those countries who didn’t win asylum using a fast-track procedure.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni slammed the decision and said that deeming countries such as Bangladesh and Egypt unsafe means that virtually all migrants would be barred from the Albania program, making it unworkable.
The number of people reaching Italy along the central Mediterranean migration route — mainly from Bangladesh, Syria, Tunisia and Egypt — has fallen by 60% in 2024 compared to 2023. As of 7 November, according to the Italian Interior Ministry, 57,767 migrants have arrived by sea in 2024.
