Italy's annual cost of welcoming immigrants is 1,7 billion euros, which is equivalent to approximately $ 10,2 billion. The information was given by Matteo Piantedosi, Italian Minister of the Interior, during a session in Parliament.
Despite the high cost, Piantedosi says that the strict immigration policies adopted by the government have reduced the number of immigrant arrivals. He highlighted that, in 2024, there was a 63% reduction in arrivals compared to 2023, and 20% compared to 2022, before the current government took office.
According to the minister, this decrease is partially attributed to cooperation with North African partners, especially Libya and Tunisia. The government also increased the number of repatriations, with 9.000 assisted deportations in the first six months of 2024, 5.111 from Libya and 3.800 from Tunisia. This number represents an increase of 20% compared to the same period in 2023.
Piantedosi made a point of highlighting that the high reception costs were inherited from the previous government, which allowed “massive and uncontrolled arrivals of immigrants”.
He also commented that centers for asylum seekers in Albania, which have not yet been opened, could cost around 160 million euros per year for five years. The delay in opening these centers was attributed to technical problems and a heat wave prolonged period that slowed down the works.
Furthermore, according to him, Italy has intensified the arrests of immigrant traffickers, with 144 arrests recorded this year, compared to 128 last year.
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