On March 28, 2025, the Italian government enacted a new decree allowing the use of two migrant centers in Albania for processing and repatriating asylum seekers whose claims have been denied.

These migrant reception hubs, located in Shëngjin and Gjadër, have been operational since October 2024 but remain unused pending a ruling from the European Court of Justice, expected by the end of May 2025.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration aims to process around 36,000 male asylum applicants annually from these designated safe countries, with plans for swift repatriation upon rejection of their asylum requests.

Despite an investment of nearly 800 million euros over five years, the initiative has yielded minimal results, with many migrants quickly returned to Italy due to unlawful detention rulings by judges.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed that the facilities are equipped for deportations and emphasized that there would be no additional costs to the government.

Opposition figures, including former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, have criticized the centers as wasteful, estimating annual costs at around 160 million euros, with potential additional costs for their transformation into repatriation facilities.

Italy has struggled with repatriating illegal immigrants, with only about 4,000 forcibly sent home in 2023, a stark contrast to higher numbers reported by France and Germany.

The government is selective about which individuals are sent to the camps, only admitting adult men from countries deemed safe, which has sparked significant debate between the government and the judiciary.

Italy recorded approximately 66,500 new migrant arrivals in 2024, significantly lower than the previous year, amidst ongoing dangers of Mediterranean crossings.

The agreement to establish these centers was made between Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in November 2023, with Italy financing and operating the facilities.

In a separate decree, Italy has tightened laws on obtaining citizenship, limiting automatic citizenship for descendants born abroad to only two generations.

The Italian government is considering converting these centers into Centers for Permanent Repatriation (CPR) to detain irregular migrants already in Italy instead of hosting new arrivals.