Italy approves new decree to use Albanian migration centers as repatriation hubs

ROME (AP) — Italy's far-right-led government approved a decree that expands the use of Albanian fast-track asylum processing centers to include repatriation hubs, in line with a recent EU proposal.

Under the new decree Friday, the two centers in Albania — originally aimed at processing non-vulnerable migrants rescued in international waters — will now also house migrants who arrived in Italy, had their asylum request rejected and received a deportation order.

In a separate decree, the government also toughened rules to obtain Italian citizenship.

The Albanian centers have remained substantially inactive since their opening in October, due to legal hurdles and amid wide opposition from human rights associations, which believe they violate international laws and put migrants’ rights at risk.

The project — which has cost nearly 800 million euros over a five-year investment — has been a disappointment for the conservative government led by Premier Giorgia Meloni.

After longer than expected construction work, the first three groups of migrants transferred there in October, November and January were sent back to Italy only a few hours later, after Italian magistrates refused to validate their detention in the non-EU country.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said Friday in a news conference that the new decree didn’t change the bulk of the agreement with Albania, but added new functions for the centers.

“The decree changes the law that ratifies the protocol with Albania, but doesn’t change its content, making it possible to transfer to the already existing (repatriation) center of Gjader also migrants coming from Italy,” Piantedosi explained.

“That would allow us to immediately reactivate that center so that it won’t lose its functions,” he added.

The Italian move, which offers Meloni a new opportunity to relaunch the costly Albanian centers, follows a European Commission proposal unveiled in March to open new “return hubs” to be set up in third countries for rejected asylum-seekers.

Only 20% of people with a deportation order are effectively removed from EU territory, according to the European Commission, which presented the “European System for Returns” as a potential solution.

The proposal aims to set a standard for all 27 members of the bloc and allow national authorities from one country to enforce the deportation order issued by another. Such rules were missing from the EU’s migration and asylum pact approved last year.

The Italian government is also waiting for a ruling by the European Court of Justice, expected this summer, which could enable the Albanian centers to operate as originally intended

In a separate decree, the government also toughened laws on Italian citizenship.

Italian descendants born abroad will automatically become citizens for only two generations, and only those with at least one parent or grandparent born in Italy will become citizens from birth.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani clarified that many descendants of Italian emigrants will still be able to obtain citizenship, but limits will be set to avoid abuse and "commercialization” of Italian passports.

From 2014 to 2024, citizens residing abroad have increased from some 4.6 million to 6.4 million — a jump of 40%. Italy has over 60,000 pending proceedings for citizenship.

Follow AP’s global migration coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/migration

FILE - A view of a migrant processing center at the port of Shengjin, northwestern Albania Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, as the first group of migrants who were intercepted in international waters arrived Wednesday. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj, File)

FILE - Migrants disembark an Italian Navy ship, as Italy sent 49 people to Albania for processing following earlier court rejections to Albania, in Shengjin, northwestern Albania, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj, File)

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Republicans Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine won special elections Tuesday in two Florida congressional districts, bolstered by President Donald Trump’s endorsement to fill vacant seats in reliably Republican strongholds.

Patronis, the state’s chief financial officer, fended off a challenge from Democrat Gay Valimont even though she far outraised and outspent him. He will fill the northwest Florida 1st District seat vacated by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was chosen to be Trump’s attorney general but withdrew from consideration amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has denied.

In north Florida's 6th District, Fine won against Democratic challenger Josh Weil for a seat vacated by Mike Waltz when he was tapped to become Trump’s national security adviser.

The win bolsters Republicans’ margin of 220-213 in the House of Representatives.

Special elections are often low-turnout events that can lead to surprising results. While GOP wins were widely expected in both districts — two of the most heavily Republican in the country — it’s notable that Democrats narrowed the margins considerably from November.

The races were among the first electoral tests of Trump’s new administration. The narrowing margins may signal a shift in public sentiment, driven by unusually strong Democratic enthusiasm as the party poured millions into the races. Democrats hoped that backlash to the president’s overhaul of federal agencies and firing of federal workers would carve into the GOP’s margins at the polls.

Trump congratulated both candidates late Tuesday and said his endorsement helped them secure a victory.

“THE TRUMP ENDORSEMENT, AS ALWAYS, PROVED FAR GREATER THAN THE DEMOCRATS FORCES OF EVIL. CONGRATULATIONS TO AMERICA!” he said on his Truth Social platform.

The mood was celebratory at a waterfront restaurant in Pensacola, where congratulatory text messages were already lighting up Patronis’ phone as early results were posted Tuesday night. Patronis worked the crowd of about 100 people shaking hands and giving hugs, his wife Katie and two sons in tow.

Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, had been saying that Fine’s underperformance should not be taken as a referendum on Trump, calling it a candidate-specific issue. However, early returns in the other district were showing that Patronis was also failing to match the large margins from November.

Fine, a self-described “conservative firebrand,” had faced growing pressure during the race’s final days as some Republicans publicly criticized his campaign and fundraising efforts, questioning whether this race would embarrass Republicans less than 100 days into Trump’s administration. Weil’s campaign raised an eye-popping $9 million compared to Fine’s $1 million.

National Democratic leaders have attributed Weil’s fundraising success to what they characterized as widespread outrage against Trump. That outrage failed to materialize in large enough numbers to overturn the outcome, foiling Democrats’ hope to pull off a huge upset that would have buoyed their party.

Fine was first elected to the Florida House in 2016 and ran each year as a representative until 2024 when he successfully won his election to the Florida Senate. He is known for his support of Israel and his efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights.

Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Josh Weil talks to a group of supporters during a Get Out the Vote event in Ocala, Fla., Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)