Overview

• The Italian government transferred 40 rejected asylum seekers to detention centers in Albania on April 11, 2025, marking the first implementation of a repurposed migration policy.
• These Italian-run centers, initially designed for processing intercepted migrants, will now serve as holding facilities pending deportation to migrants' home countries.
• Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s administration introduced this policy shift in March 2025 to address longstanding challenges in managing asylum rejections and repatriations.
• The legality of transferring rejected asylum seekers to a non-EU country remains uncertain, with prior attempts to use the centers blocked by Italian courts.
• Under Italian law, rejected asylum seekers can be detained for up to 18 months while awaiting deportation, though the duration of detention in Albania is unclear.