Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Italy lower house approves bill increasing penalties for illegal immigration

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Italian Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament, on Wednesday approved legislation that would increase the penalties for illegal immigration by a vote of 297-255. The controversial legislation provides that an alien who enters or resides in Italy in violation of existing immigration laws shall be fined between 5,000 and 10,000 euros. Landlords who knowingly lease to illegal immigrants may now face up to three years in prison. The legislation is aimed at lowering crime associated with illegal immigrants and would allow for the formation of civilian anti-crime patrols. Opponents of the legislation have criticized it as xenophobic, but Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has defended it as important for public safety. The measure still needs to be approved by the Senate. Illegal immigration is an increasing problem in Italy that resulted in approximately 36,000 people arriving by boat last year, mostly from Africa. Last week, the Italian government sent 227 migrants back to Libya without asylum hearings in violation of the UN Refugee Convention. The UN Refugee Agency urged Italian authorities to reconsider their position, pointing out that Libya is not a member of the UN Refugee Convention and is lacking a functional asylum system. Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized the actions, maintaining that returning the migrants to Libya put them at risk for harm and inhumane treatment. In November, UN human rights experts expressed concern for Italy's treatment of detained migrants and asylum seekers.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on May 14, 2009 (boomark / email).