Italy ‘will not accept’ 500 South American migrants

Both Italy and Greece have rejected a claim made by the US network CBS News last week that they had agreed with the US administration to admit a large number of migrants from South American countries.

“The CBS report is untrue. There is neither an agreement nor a request from the US to resettle legal immigrants in Greece,” Greek Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis wrote on X on Friday.

Small-scale program being discussed

The office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the report “completely misleading” but also confirmed that Italy and the US were in the early stages of discussing a small-scale migrant exchange program.

In an official note on May 31, the Italian government said it could take around 20 Venezuelans of Italian origin under a deal with the US, which would in turn shelter some migrants currently in Libya who want to travel to Europe.

Underlining that the proposals involved much smaller numbers than those cited in the CBS report, a source at the Italian interior ministry said Italy was “not available” to relocate hundreds of people on its territory, “given the already very considerable efforts it is making in terms of welcoming migrants.”

What is the Safe Mobility scheme?

According to the CBS report, the migrants eligible for resettlement under the scheme would have been through so-called Safe Mobility Offices (SMOs). These are regional centers set up by the Biden administration in Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

The SMOs, which are run with the support of the IOM and UNHCR, screen migrants in those countries for possible resettlement to the United States or elsewhere. The centers help to “promote safe, orderly, and regular migration and safeguard people from scams and other dangers violating their rights,” according to the US Embassy in Guatemala.

In one year, 10,000 asylum seekers who went through this procedure were relocated to other countries.

‘Extremely advantageous for Italy’

The Italian government said discussion about a small-scale migrant exchange plan with the United States “is only under consideration at the moment,” but added that “it would be extremely advantageous for Italy and European States of first entry.”

However, the Italian national spokesperson of Green Europe (Europa Verde) and Green Alliance and the Left MP, Angelo Bonelli, expressed concern about the proposal, likening it to Italy’s plan to transfer responsibility for screening of asylum seekers hoping to reach the EU to neighboring Albania.

The proposed scheme “transforms Italy into the United States’ Albania, opening a market for the purchase of migrant persons,” Bonelli said, adding: “It is unacceptable to play with the lives of vulnerable persons who are fleeing from difficult situations and are searching for a better life.”

With Reuters