The first migrants sent to Albania to process the return…

SHENGJIN, Albania (AP) — An Italian navy ship returned the first 12 migrants from newly opened asylum processing centers in Albania to Italy on Saturday following a controversial court decision in Rome.

The ship arrived in the southern port of Bari on Saturday afternoon and the migrants were transferred to the local reception center for asylum seekers.

Friday’s court ruling represents an early setback for a five-year deal between Italy and Albania for Tirana to take in 3,000 migrants a month picked up in international waters by the Italian coast guard. They will be examined for possible asylum in Italy or sent back to their countries.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has hailed the deal as a new “model” for managing illegal immigration.

The court in Rome refused to detain 12 of the migrants, arguing that their countries of origin — Bangladesh and Egypt — were not safe enough to be sent back.

The Italian navy ship took the 12 from the port of Shengjin, 66 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Tirana. After arriving this week, the other four migrants had already been rejected by staff at the centre, two as vulnerable after undergoing health checks and two for being underage.

Under Italian law, the detention of each migrant must be reviewed by special courts.

Meloni criticized the judges after the ruling, saying that deeming countries like Bangladesh and Egypt unsafe means virtually all migrants would be barred from Albania’s program, making it unworkable. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the government would appeal the ruling.

Speaking to reporters during a trip to Lebanon, Meloni said he would call a cabinet meeting on Monday to discuss the issue.

“We will meet to approve some rules that will allow us to overcome this obstacle,” said Meloni. “I think it is up to the government and not the magistrates to establish which countries can be considered safe.”

Although Bangladesh and Egypt are not at war or facing any major refugee crisis, the judges in Rome said their decision was based on recent international decisions that consider discrimination or persecution even in a part of a country as a reason for this determination.

Italy has agreed to take in those migrants who are granted asylum, while those whose applications are rejected face deportation directly from Albania.

The controversial deal to outsource the housing of asylum seekers to a non-EU country has been hailed by some countries which, like Italy, are experiencing high levels of migrant arrivals.

The agreement was endorsed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as an example of “thinking outside the box” to address the issue of migration in the European Union.

Human rights organizations considered it a dangerous precedent.

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Semini reported from Tirana. Follow him at https://x.com/lsemini

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