ROME -- The Gentiloni government’s proposed tougher policies on immigration, with the plan of introducing Centres for Identification and Expulsion in every Italian region, sparked controversy amongst regional governors Thursday throughout the Bel Paese.

 The revolt at a migrant reception centre in northern Italy by refugees against volunteers, caused by the death of an Ivorian woman, has renewed alarm about the conditions and management of migrants in the country, prompting Italian Catholic Church authorities to warn that the situation could spiral out of control, Il Sole 24 ore writes.

 As a reaction to growing fears and rising tensions towards immigration in Italy and a perceived lack of help from the European Union, Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni’s government is starting a much tougher policy on illegal immigrants than that which former PM Matteo Renzi had in place.

 The Interior Minister Marco Minniti has returned from Malta where he met the new president of the EU Council Donald Tusk to discuss the welcoming, relocation and repatriation of migrants managed by the EU, and is set to visit Tripoli next week to discuss anti-trafficking measures, with the objective of reaching an agreement to stop the flow of departures from Libya. 

 Minniti confirmed his tougher policy on irregular immigrants, with the idea of introducing CIE (Centres for Identification and Expulsion) in each Italian region, but placed outside of inhabited zones close to airports, with no more than 100 refugees in each, Il Messaggero reports.

 This new proposal is meant to simplify bureaucratic procedures and would allow only one court judgement without appeals. The proposal will be inserted in immigration policy package to be approved by upcoming Council of Ministers.

 The new government plan is meant to start at the end of January to ensure a fair distribution of migrants, with each town accepting a number of migrants in proportion to its inhabitants.

 However, these proposals have caused clashes between the central government and local authorities as regional governors oppose the creation of the new centres, with many stating that they are “inhumane and useless.” In fact, a  report from Human Rights Senate Committee states that hot spots and CIE are inefficient and only favour illegal immigration. 

 Leader of the radical Five Star Movement Beppe Grillo wrote on his blog that “opening a CIE for every region, as minister Minniti proposes, would only slow down the expulsion of irregular immigrants and would do nothing but feed waste, unlawfulness and mafia.”

 For Grillo, the time has come to “identify who arrives in Italy, dig out the fake refugees, rapidly expel the irregular immigrants within a few days, without parking them in unnecessary CIE often run by mafias, then welcome those who have asylum rights and seriously integrate regular immigrants. These are things that the M5S has wisely stated for years.”

  However, La Stampa reports that thousands of refugees in Italy are seeing their asylum requests rejected in spite of having already found a job -- the paradox behind the Interior Ministry’s new policies.

 Italian journalist and author Massimo Franco wrote in Corriere della sera that migration is becoming the number one issue with which populist movements across Europe (UKIP, Le Pen) are attacking national governments, thus it is only natural for Grillo to make his voice heard.

 nkd