Italy Passes Draconian Anti-Immigrant Law: Italy Passes Draconian Anti-Immigrant Law
The law makes illegal immigration a crime punishable with a fine from EUR 5 000 to EUR 10 000.
[novinite.com] Italy’s center-right coalition adopted a tough law against illegal immigration Thursday despite fierce criticism from the opposition, rights groups and the Vatican.
The law makes illegal immigration a crime punishable with a fine from EUR 5 000 to EUR 10 000.
It also raises to six months the amount of time that illegal migrants can be detained in holding centers before repatriation.
Anyone caught housing an illegal immigrant could face jail.
The new law allows the creation of unarmed citizen patrols to help police and soldiers fight crime on the streets, makes it a jail offense to force children to beg, a measure viewed as targeting gypsies and Roma people.
The law was put forward by Interior Minister, Roberto Maroni, a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League which is a crucial ally for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s conservative government.
"We want to tell citizens that the government is acting to guarantee their security", he said Thursday.
While other European countries have not actually criminalized illegal immigration several, including France and Greece, have already adopted similar measures.
