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A heated debate in the upper house of the Italian parliament on Friday evening was accompanied by a vote on the government’s new immigration measures to repeal laws enacted last summer at the initiative of former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, writes the MTI.
The Senate approved an amendment to Salvini’s immigration security laws with 153 votes in favor, two against, and four abstentions. The House of Representatives voted the same on December 9.
The opposition parties did not participate in the vote, as the government submitted the project to a vote of confidence, against which senators from the Center-Right Coalition League, the Italian Brothers and Hajrá Italia protested vehemently. The demonstration continued during the vote: members of the center-right faction whistled at the Senate meeting, presented a large-scale banner in which they were ashamed to change immigration policy so far. There was also a slight push between the ruling and opposition senators, and the work of the upper house had to be interrupted several times due to the clashes.
Deputy Interior Minister Matteo Mauri, a left-wing Democratic politician (PD), said in a statement that “Salvini’s immigration regulations have been abolished, Italy is beginning a new chapter in the treatment of migration under international law.”
In his speech in the Senate, Matteo Salvini said that “human traffickers are celebrating now” as the government has opened ports to all, without further distinguishing between war fugitives and dangerous economic or terrorist immigrants. He recalled that in his Interior Ministry, the immigration measures that he had introduced not only reduced the number of arrivals, but also halved the number of people lost at sea. Last year, more than 11,000 arrived in Italy in a year, three times this year. The leader of the Liga party has announced that as soon as the emergency situation due to the coronavirus epidemic ends, a referendum will be held to restore immigration rigor.
Giorgia Meloni, president of the Italian Brothers (FdI), wrote on the community page that in an emergency created by the epidemic, Giuseppe Conte’s government will facilitate the landing of illegal immigrants instead of solving population problems.
According to the amendments requested by the center-left parties, the new migration measures are aimed at the reception and integration of immigrants arriving in the country. The number of people eligible for international protection or so-called humanitarian asylum has increased. Migrants arriving by sea are almost automatically considered asylum seekers and are included in the national health and social security system. They are provided with an Italian course, vocational training and job search support.
Beneficiaries of refugee status can obtain a three-year residence permit and an identity card, but this will not apply to entry into another European country. From the previous 48 months, the Italian citizenship procedure has been reduced to 24 months for foreigners living and working in the country.
The ceiling on the number of economic immigrants arriving in Italy each year to work has been lifted. The sanctions imposed by the Salvini provisions on civilian vessels arriving with migrants have been significantly reduced.
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