Italy has sent the first illegal immigrant back to his home country via a camp set up in Gjader, Albania.
Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi announced the move on April 19 in a post on X. “The repatriation operations of irregular migrants will continue in the coming days as planned in the Government’s strategy for more effective action against illegal immigration,” he added.
According to Italian newspaper Avvenire the deported migrant was a 42-year-old male from Bangladesh who had arrived in Italy in 2009. The man was expelled for being a “danger to society”.
He reportedly had a history of various criminal acts including serious domestic violence.
Primo rimpatrio dall’Albania di un cittadino straniero trattenuto nel Centro per il Rimpatrio di Gjader. Le operazioni di rimpatrio dei migranti irregolari proseguiranno anche nei prossimi giorni come previsto dalla strategia di Governo per una più efficace azione di contrasto… pic.twitter.com/4iEXrcR77e
— Matteo Piantedosi (@Piantedosim) April 19, 2025
The deportation came two months after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had vowed to push ahead with her plan deport irregular migrants to camps in Albania. That was despite resistance from national judges who tried to stall the operation via legal means.
The judges had cited doubts over the scheme’s compliance with rulings of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
The ECJ has yet to issue a final decision on the legality of Italy’s agreement with Albania to transfer migrants to processing centres in the Albanian towns of Shengjin and Gjader. A ruling is expected in May or June.
On February 25, the European Commission supported Italy’s position in a court hearing. The EC’s legal representative Flavia Tomat argued that European Union law allowed member states to designate countries of origin as safe. A country did not have to be “entirely safe”, just safe for certain migrant categories, as long as those groups were clearly defined.
On April 10, an advocate general at the EU Court of Justice, Richard de la Tour, wrote that member states may designate third countries as “safe countries of origin” via legislative acts but must ensure transparency and judicial accountability.
The opinion of the Advocate General was generally regarded as an indication of how the ECJ would finally rule on an issue.
On March 28 the Italian Government decided to repurpose one of the two migration centres in Albania, the one at Gjader, into a “repatriation detention centre” in an attempt to bypass legal hurdles.
On April 9, it was reported that a group of up to 40 individuals would imminently be transferred to the Gjader camp, which has a current capacity of 48 inmates. That is set to be raised to 144 in the coming months.
The second facility in Shengjin, with a capacity of more than 800, will reportedly remain closed for the time being.
