Libra Ship Departs for Albania with Migrants Amid Legal Challenges
The Italian Ministry of the Interior has announced the departure of the Navy's Libra ship from Lampedusa, carrying eight migrants destined for Italian migrant centers in Albania. The announcement on Tuesday confirmed the ship's resumed operations toward Albania, although the precise departure time and the number of individuals aboard remained unspecified. The ship is anticipated to arrive soon at the designated hotspot at the port of Shengjin, from where the migrants will subsequently be moved to the Gjader center. Here, they will await the outcomes of their asylum applications.
Historically, legal validations of the detention in these centers have been uncertain, leading to previous cases where migrants were returned to Italy despite being transferred. The Libra ship boasts a capacity for approximately 200 individuals. However, finding suitable candidates for transfer proves challenging due to strict legal criteria; only single adult men deemed non-vulnerable and hailing from safe countries are eligible.
According to reports from Repubblica, an initial ninth candidate was identified for transfer but was ultimately left behind in Lampedusa as they were deemed too old and therefore too vulnerable for the process. This situation raises questions about the operational capacity of the Albanian centers and whether the Italian government can effectively manage the complexities associated with the migrant transfer system.
The current measures reflect Italy's ongoing attempts to manage migration logistics through cooperation with Albania as part of a broader effort to control migration flows across the Mediterranean. It remains to be seen how these plans will unfold and whether they will succeed in easing the immigration challenges facing Italy.
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