Italy conducts various immigration enforcement and deportation operations

Italian authorities have conducted several immigration enforcement operations across various regions. In Catanzaro, a former human smuggler has been transferred to a repatriation center in Potenza following the completion of a sentence for aiding illegal immigration.

In a significant legal ruling, the Catanzaro Court of Appeal declared the December 2023 detention of the NGO vessel Humanity 1 illegitimate. The court rejected government arguments regarding non-compliance with Libyan Coast Guard instructions, ruling that orders to return people to Libya are not binding and that maritime rescues must conclude in a safe location.

Other enforcement actions include the deportation of several individuals: in Brindisi, four foreign nationals were repatriated, including one convicted of sexual violence; in Bari, two North Africans with criminal records were expelled; in Belluno, a man convicted of domestic violence was returned to Albania; and in Treviso, a 24-year-old was deported to Albania following an attempted residential burglary. Additionally, a Georgian national was repatriated from Crotone and banned from the Schengen area for three years after his asylum request was denied.

In a separate incident, border police in Bologna and Catania intercepted four Georgian citizens attempting to board flights to Tel Aviv using forged Israeli passports.