Italy's Controversial Immigration Overhaul Faces Legal Challenges

Italy's government attempts to address court challenges to its immigration plan, which involves sending boat migrants to detention camps in Albania. The move faced setbacks due to legal rulings questioning the safety of certain countries and sparked conflict between the government and judiciary.

Italy's government is grappling with setbacks to its flagship immigration plan following a court ruling that challenged the legality of sending migrants to detention camps in Albania. The plan, intended to deter boat migrants, faced immediate complications after a Rome court intervention.

The plan aimed to send male migrants from what are dubbed 'safe countries' to Albania, where they would await the outcome of their asylum requests. However, a recent European Court of Justice ruling complicated this process, suggesting a country cannot be safe unless its entire territory is danger-free.

Seeking to navigate this legal quagmire, Italy revised its list of 'safe' countries to align better with legal standards, removing Nigeria, Columbia, and Cameroon due to safety concerns. Despite these adjustments, the tension between the executive and judiciary persists, with questions remaining over the plan's future effectiveness.

(With inputs from agencies.)