An Italian navy ship will land the
first 16 migrants to be processed in new Italian-run centres
Albania on Wednesday morning, sources said Tuesday.
The migrants, 10 Bangladeshis and six Egyptians, are the first
to test the innovative and controversial scheme that has been
criticised by rights groups and the political opposition but
hailed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as
a model for others to follow.
The Libra ship is expected to arrive at the port of Shengjin
around 8:00 Wednesday.
The 16 adult males, intercepted in international waters south of
Lampedusa, are to undergo accelerated border procedures.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR refugee
protection personnel are also traveling on the Libra.
The men will first be identified and undergo health screening.
They will be transferred later in the day to the other 'Italian'
site in Gjader, about twenty kilometers inland, where they will
await the outcome of their request for international protection
in the Center for asylum seekers.
A Rome court will then have to decide on the validation of a
detention warrant issued by the capital's police headquarters.
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