Italy plans to construct migrant facilities in Albania amid the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced plans to build two centers in Albania for hosting tens of thousands of illegal migrants. She made the announcement during a news conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Rome. The centers are expected to open next spring and will be able to process up to 36,000 people a year. It is important to note that the plan will only apply to migrants rescued at sea by Italian boats and not to those who arrive on Italian shores. According to Meloni, the migrants will be housed in these centers while their asylum requests are examined, except for pregnant women, children, and vulnerable individuals. The facilities, which will be funded by Italy, will have the capacity to accommodate 3,000 people each month for the necessary amount of time to expedite asylum applications and, if needed, for repatriation. The two centers will be located in the port of Shengjin and the Gjader area in north-west Albania. Albania will provide security personnel and police officers for the centers. Meloni praised Albania for its cooperation, stating that despite not being an EU member state, the country acts as if it were one. She expressed her support for Albania's entry into the EU. Prime Minister Rama responded warmly, expressing gratitude for Italy's support to Albania in the 1990s after the fall of the Communist regime. He emphasized that Albania is ready to help Italy manage the arrival of migrants, acknowledging the challenges Italy faces due to its geographic location as the gateway to the EU. However, the agreement has faced criticism from opposition politicians in both Italy and Albania. Riccardo Magi, the leader of the Italian liberal party +Europa, described the plan as "frightening" and compared the centers to "a sort of Italian Guantanamo." He also argued that Italy cannot ship people rescued at sea to a non-EU country. Belind Kellici of Albania's Democratic Party criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the deal and accused Rama of betraying Albania. Italian PM Meloni, who is known for her anti-immigration stance, has previously announced several measures to tackle illegal immigration. However, despite these efforts, Italy has seen a significant increase in migrant arrivals this year compared to 2021. In response, the Italian government declared a six-month state of emergency in April.