ROME (AP) – Italian navy vessel Cassiopea has embarked 49 migrants during its patrols in the Mediterranean and is transferring them to new processing centers in Albania, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
This is the third attempt to process adult male migrants in Albania after the first two transfers under a controversial scheme launched in October were blocked due to legal hurdles.
The Interior Ministry said Sunday that 53 other migrants “spontaneously presented their passports” after they were told that this would avoid their transfer to Albania. Where the nationality is confirmed, processing generally takes less time as people who are determined by Italy to be ineligible to apply for asylum in the European Union are repatriated via a fast-track procedure.
Italian judges refused to validate the detention of the first two small groups after they were…
