With tensions between the government and the judiciary still ongoing, the Albania mission is back on track. The Navy ship Libra, intended for the transfer of migrants to centers in Albania, has left the port of Messina and will enter into action in the central Mediterranean at the beginning of next week. The government is continuing with its strategy despite the recent ruling by the immigration section of the Rome court, which on October 18 denied validation of the detention of 12 foreigners in the Italian repatriation center. This decision has sparked violent reactions on social media, culminating in death threats to Judge Silvia Albano, one of the six magistrates involved in the ruling, who is now under surveillance for security reasons.

The Libra ship heads south to monitor migrant arrivals, after several days of bad weather that have reduced landings (only 300 people in the last ten days). The immigrants will be welcomed on board and then transferred to the Shengjin hotspot, in accordance with the categories provided for in the protocol stipulated with Tirana. The executive continues in this direction without waiting for a ruling from the European Court of Justice regarding the decree on safe countries, postponed by the Court of Bologna. NGOs have criticized this operation calling it a “propaganda campaign” and a “commercial”. Luca Casarini of Mediterranea Saving Humans argues that Italy is trying to create a model that represents a way to implement pushbacks, highlighting how the operation leads to the deportation and detention of innocent people.

A new clash is therefore looming over the application of government regulations after the introduction of the decree law of October 21, which further expanded the list of countries considered safe (including Egypt, Bangladesh and Tunisia), bringing this rule to a primary level. The judges of Bologna have asked the European Union to express its opinion on two crucial points: the criteria for defining a safe country and the question of European primacy over national laws.

This initiative has provoked strong reactions from government forces. The secretary general of the National Association of Magistrates has called for a return to respect for the role of jurisdiction and an end to attacks on magistrates. President Santalucia has expressed concern regarding the decision of the Bologna court. In the meantime, the process for the transfer of migrants will resume in the coming weeks with the setting of the validation hearing in Rome. The network of criminal lawyers who assist migrants has not yet received official communications while preparing to manage the new arrivals at the hotspot where approximately 300 people operate, including doctors and law enforcement.