ROME (Reuters) - Italy's navy on Sunday was taking 49 migrants it picked up in international waters to detention facilities in Albania, the interior ministry said, resuming a plan to curb sea arrivals mired in legal controversy.
Giorgia Meloni's government has built two reception centres in Albania, the first such deal involving a European Union nation diverting migrants to a non-EU country, but they have been empty since November after running into court opposition.
The ministry said a patrol vessel was heading to Albania with 49 migrants onboard while further 53 who were also picked up, and who presented their passports to avoid immediate relocation, were in Italy awaiting the verification of their status.
The transfer represents a new attempt by the government to enforce its policy after judges in Rome questioned its validity and ordered the first two batches of migrants detained in Albania to be moved to Italy.
The controversy surrounding the plan, which Meloni sees as a cornerstone of her government's aim to limit immigration, revolves around a ruling by the European Court of Justice last year, which was not related to Italy.
The Court said no nation of origin could be considered safe if even just a part of it was dangerous, undermining Rome's idea of deporting to Albania migrants from a selected list of "safe" countries with a view to swiftly repatriate them.
The European court is set to review Italy's plan in the coming weeks and clarify whether it is in compliance with EU law.