Italy: Minister announces new immigrant detention centres

Rome, 26 May (AKI) - The Italian government is planning to build four new detention centres for illegal immigrants, interior minister Roberto Maroni said on Wednesday. The detention centres will be built in the central Tuscany and Marche regions, the Campania region in the south and in Veneto in the northeast, he said.

"There are currently 13 immigrant detention centres located in nine Italian regions. We want to ensure that every region has one by the end of this legislature," Maroni told MPs in Rome.

"We will start building the new centres this year in Tuscany, Marche, Campania and Veneto," he said.

The sites for the new detention centres have already been identified and they will be located some distance from towns and cities and near to airports, in consultation with the presidents of each region, Maroni stated.

The sites are disused state buildings such as military barracks, which will be refurbished, Maroni said.

Italian authorities have deported over 42,000 illegal immigrants since the current government took office in May 2008, he noted.

"To make progress with this policy we need to build up our detention facilities," said Maroni, who belongs to Italy's anti-immigrant Northern League party.

Under Italian law the length of time for which immigrants can be detained has increased from 2 to 6 months, making the 1,811 places available in detention centres "insufficient" he noted.

The Northern League is a coalition partner of the ruling conservative People of Freedom Party, which has pledged to crack down on illegal immigration to Italy.